get ER wait times on your phone ?

going2BaNurse2014 · Jul 31, 2011

I have this image of a set-speed conveyor belt zooming through lab, X-ray, nuclear med, EKG, etc....some swipe card zips a person through, and at the end, a pre-fab list of d/c instructions beeps out of a slot in the wall near the exit....

so true!! LMAO :lol2:

I went to one of the er's before they had the 30 min deal, for probably the worst headache I've ever had in my life, like incapaciated for a week headache. Needless to say when triage took my vitals and saw my BP so low, I got in within 2 mins. I still don't remember how I drove there, but hubs had to come get me as they had given me morphine and a c/t, ekg, the whole workup. Never did find out what really happened, but I think it was a spinal headache as I had my daughter about 8 weeks prior.

khvegas · Jul 31, 2011

A bunch of the hospitals in Las Vegas have this option to view wait times before heading to the hospital. I am pretty sure there is no magic trick to only having a 30 minute wait time for any of these emergency departments. There are a lot of choices in the Las Vegas valley for hospitals and wait times are usually not that long.

Another interesting thing to note is that some urgent cares in Las Vegas also have wait times available online along with how many patients are waiting to be seen.

The wait times have been listed online for some hospitals since 2009.

IdrilRN, BSN, RN · Jul 31, 2011

There was a hospital in Norfolk, VA and VA Beach, VA that guaranteed being seen within 30 minutes... I don't know how it worked out for them. It seems like the only guarantee of fastpass is if you go during the day time (when normal dr offices are open, and even then there is no guarantee) as opposed to night time and all that is open is the ER. I don't see how they can guarantee 30 mins to be seen.
My dr's office can't even guarantee 30 minutes to be seen LOL

So, does one get a free pizza, um I mean, free visit if they wait longer then the posted time? :confused:

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Jul 31, 2011

Egads, we may be on to the fix for the national healthcare disasters... Pre-plan emergencies- just pick the plan you want, and like the 3000 mile oil change (that is now evidently a crock), you zip through a totally automated human tube system...

(aka- no humans... "press one for prostate check.... two for a pap....3 for cholesterol screen w/complimentary BP....4 for GI issues w/complimentary mag citrate... 5 for ......."

Then, lie/hang/dangle from the appropriate piece of equipment and go through 'the tunnel'.... exit at the end with parking validation, and referrals to have your aura read.....

:hrnsmlys: :smackingf :monkeydance: :dncgbby: :hpygrp:

Ruthiegal · Jul 31, 2011

you all have to see this there is a hospital in las vegas that posts there wait times and you can ever get them by text ? the site said 30 mins wait time on a saturday ? that is unheard of around here .
http://sunrisehospital.com/about/er-wait-times.dot

They do that in Detroit too... see ads all the time for the 30 min or less wait and you can check on the website etc for actual wait times....

KayRN910 · Jul 31, 2011

Ok so if a hospital can see people in about 30mins WHY are all hospitals not at there door to find out how thay are doing it ?

Well, theres not really a secret to it other than we work our butts off! Our docs have a ton of pressure to keep their "greet times" down, so they put the pressure on us to get workups done and people discharged/admitted. We also triage in the rooms so the provider can get in there quicker. So, most of the time, you walk in, get quickly checked in, then go back to a room immediately.

If we ever get completely full in the back, we triage out front and work protocols to help make things flow faster when they get to the back.

heartflutter, ADN, BSN · Jul 31, 2011

I heard Alberta just launched something similar. I hope it discourages the... less emergent to just bloody wait to see their PCP.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 31, 2011

you all have to see this there is a hospital in las vegas that posts there wait times and you can ever get them by text ? the site said 30 mins wait time on a saturday ? that is unheard of around here .
http://sunrisehospital.com/about/er-wait-times.dot

That depends on how many hospitals are within a cetain mile radius.....it also depends on 30 min wait until what.....the triage nurse, the registrar, the MD?. There are many variables and just because it says 30 mins doen't mean you won't be there a long time. :cool: If you are going to a major medical center you need to be pretty sick to get bumped ahead of what is being sent there by surrounding facilities. Someone else mentioned it when the MD's pick the patient and the time changes in the computer but that doesn't mean you still don't wait to be seen. Some hospitals are building patient rooms to get them out of the waiting areas but it doesn't change yhour to be seen time it just makes people happier that they are in a room.

The bottom line remains.......how quickly you are seen is based on acuity and assessment and most ED's do this very well. It is the ED staff's assessment:idea:, not the patients assessment :rolleyes: of who needs to be seen first and how acute they are.......Of course there are miss judgements that happen but for the most part triage nurses are pretty accurate. The triage nurse has a huge responsibility of assessing the patient and she better be right. :nurse:

That's why I believe that only experienced ED RN's with AT LEAST 1 year under their belt AND other certifications specific to the ED should be complete BEFORE working triage.......and I also believe that people need to be re-educated that ED 's. You can't "call ahead" for reservations :uhoh3: , but thanks for the heads up.......We are NOT a drive through:down: and you can't always "have it your way". :smokin:

kids · Jul 31, 2011

Seems to me that if you are well enough to play with your phone app to shop for the hospital with the best "deal" then you really aren't an ER patient anyway.

I tend to agree but also can see situations where something is ER worthy but doesn't nesesitate sitting for 4 hours waiting to be seen.

I live in a town where the nearest 24/7 urgent care clinic is a 30 minute drive (and is out of network for my 'nation-wide' insurance). But we do have 2 hospitals, 5 minutes apart, one of which advertizes shorter ER wait times. While they wouldn't be my first choice for anything significant they are great for urgent needs.

nrsang97, BSN, RN · Jul 31, 2011

There is a hospital system in Detroit that has wait times by text, and online. There are other sysetms that guratnee you will be seen in 30 minutes.

nrsang97, BSN, RN · Jul 31, 2011

They do that in Detroit too... see ads all the time for the 30 min or less wait and you can check on the website etc for actual wait times....

I think I work at the only system in Detroit who dosen't advertise that.

momto2j's · Jul 31, 2011

I have personally used the ER wait times to determine were we were going to go. My son needed a bag of IV fluid following a atypical recovery removal of his tonsils. He hadn't had more than 5 oz to drink in 5 days, was pittiful, weak, his mouth was dry, and he wasn't making urine. I called every urgent care clinic within 30 minutes drive and non of them would do an IV in a 4 year old. He wasn't "sick" he didn't need diagnostics just fluids. So after the urgent care clinics I started to surf to see which ED (there are about 5 choices with in 30 minutes) had the shortest time. Because he didn't need the works we went to the closest ED and not the local peds ED with trauma. He could have waited until the AM but then would have been worse and harder to get the line in and the only place apparently to get an IV with fluids is the ED so our options were limited. The published wait times were nice to see so that I could have an idea what I was in for and how much "stuff" to pack.