Not all Emergency Services Departments (ERs) are the same and Olympia Medical Center’s ER ranks among the best for patient wait time -- an important measurement hospitals review for tracking the quality of emergency services.
The rapid response of the ER staff is made possible by the parallel initiation of several processes in the emergency room, which occur simultaneously. When the patient arrives, the primary care doctor is notified and, if necessary, hospital room preparation begins. At the same time, laboratory work (blood and other fluids) and x-rays are also ordered. Other ERs may utilize a straight linear system in which they perform each of the tasks, one after another -- this can take up to several hours.
At Olympia Medical Center, when patients arrive at the emergency room, a "triage" nurse evaluates the patients and sorts through the information to determine which patients need to be seen first. The ER staff tracks the time it takes from a patient’s arrival to the time that patient is provided with a medical evaluation and is admitted to the hospital, if that becomes necessary. These measurements are reviewed periodically and help us to improve the department’s efficiency. According to data measured from October 2009 - March 2010, most patients wait less than a half-hour in Olympia’s ER.
Olympia Medical Center’s ER is staffed with board certified physicians and certified physician assistants. "Our experienced staff of medical professionals look for what we are doing right and also where there is room for improvement, so we know if we are going in the right direction and providing optimal service," says Jeff Tsai, M.D., and Emergency Department Medical Director.
Each day patients with a wide range and severity of conditions arrive in the ER. Some come in with serious illnesses and injuries while others with life threatening situations that require immediate medical attention. An elderly man may come in with a bad infection to the leg; there may be a mother who is carrying her child who swallowed a poisonous substance; or an anxious construction worker holding his hand worried about losing a finger after accidentally smashing it at the job site.
"We are not only efficient, but we are compassionate and we will respond to any complaint from a patient who arrives at the ER, no matter how big or small," adds Dr. Tsai.
To contact the Emergency Department call (310) 657-5900.