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Improve Er Wait Times
Ways to Improve Emergency Room Wait Times
Veronica Padlo
California College San Diego
MAN324
May 2, 2010
Dru Macasieb

Abstract It seems that emergency room wait times are ridiculous and there is no need for it. My mom has been in and out of the hospital since last April and the most annoying thing in the world is having to wait 3 hours to see a doctor. This paper is going to focus on ways to improve emergency room wait times. With all the advancements in technology you would think that every hospital has an app to download but that’s not the case.

Ways to Improve Emergency Room Wait Times “Across the country, the average emergency room wait time is now 222 minutes- that’s 3 hours, 42 minutes. (Costello, 2006) My mom has been sick recently and has been in and out of the hospital. When she is not feeling well, we will sit home and debate whether or not to go to emergency because we don’t want to wait for hours. This paper will discuss ways in which emergency room wait times can be reduced by using technology to improve efficiencies and speed up patient processing, treating patients based on the seriousness of the injury and improvement of the overall customer service and management of the hospital flow.
Technology
Technology seems to have taken over these days. Smart phones, tablets, Nook, Kindle, MP3 players, laptops, and now smart televisions are just a few of the many advances so far. Hospitals should be using technology to increase efficiency. For example, “Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego and Chula Vista, CA, has implemented a computerized bed monitoring system that allows staff members to immediately fill vacant beds and keep patients moving throughout the hospital.” (some hospitals implement unique measures to improve ER wait times, 2008) By implementing this strategy hospital wait times have decreased. This makes the process more efficient by letting the ER now right away when a bed is available. “At Boston’s Beth Israel/Deaconess Medical


References: al, N. M. (2010). Reducing waiting time at an emergency department using design for Six Sigma and discree event simulation. Int. J. Six Sigma and Competitive advantage, 6, 91-104. Costello, T. (2006, November 20). Hospitals work to improve ER wait times. Retrieved from NBCNightlyNew-msnbc.com: www.msnbc.msn.com/id15817906/ns/nightly-news/#.T59MkauVwYk Rice, S. (2011, January 13). Don 't die waiting in the ER. Retrieved from CNN.com: www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/13/emergency.room.ep/index.html some hospitals implement unique measures to improve ER wait times. (2008, December 17). Retrieved from www.hcpro.com: hcpro.com/print/...Some-hospitals-implement-unique-measuress-to-improve-ER-wait-times.html
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