Time is on Your Side at Women & Children’s Hospital
WCH launches the 30-Minutes-or- less ER Service Pledge

Lake Charles, La. (March 30, 2012) -- When you’re experiencing a health care emergency, the last thing you want to do is wait. Emergency medicine is about three things: compassion, skilled care and speed. “That’s why Women & Children’s Hospital (WCH) is launching the 30-Minutes-or-less ER Service Pledge – to assure patients that we are dedicated not only to offering the best quality care, but also to providing that care as efficiently and quickly as possible,” said WCH CEO, Bryan S. Bateman.

When a patient enters the ER at WCH, the arrival time is noted. The 30-Minutes-or-less ER Service Pledge will begin the minute a patient checks in at the ER desk. “Our pledge is that a clinical professional will work diligently to initially see each patient within 30 minutes or less of their arrival to begin their evaluation and treatment. When the patient is seen by a clinical professional, defined as a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, the time is logged on the patient’s chart – so we can track our performance in keeping our pledge of low ER wait times,” said Bateman.

“While the goal of WCH’s ER pledge is to work diligently to initially see every patient within 30 minutes, the most critical health emergencies will always receive top priority,” said Kari Cook, R.N., ER Director at WCH. The hospital records and monitors many ER indicators as part of its ongoing quality improvement process.  “One of the items we track is patient wait times in the ER to determine how efficiently we triage patients and get them to a clinical professional for initial evaluation and treatment,” said Cook. “I’m pleased to report that the vast majority of ER patients at WCH were already being seen within 30 minutes of their arrival time.”

The hospital will launch the 30-Minutes-or-less ER Service Pledge starting Sunday, April 1. “We believe this service pledge will distinguish us from other health care providers in the area, and underline our commitment to the people who live and work in Lake Charles and the surrounding communities,” said Bateman.

“While we are committed to prompt and appropriate care for our ER patients, the 30-Minutes-or-less ER pledge should not be misinterpreted as an effort to rush patients though the ER,” Bateman added. “Our process improvements focus on getting ER patients into a treatment room as quickly as possible, enabling our clinical professionals to begin diagnosis and treatment in a timely manner.”

The community can view WCH’s average ER wait time, which is based on a two-hour rolling average and is updated every 15 minutes on the hospital website at www.women-childrens.com.