ETA on the ER Physician?!?

[NYCEMS9115]

N.J. Hospital Debuts Wait-Time Billboards

Bayonne Medical Center has unveiled a billboard showing its real-time ER wait.

http://www.emsworld.com/web/online/Top-EMS-News/NJ-Hospital-Debuts-Wait-Time-Billboards/1$16748

[EMS Solutions]

I've also seen options to have ED and Trauma center wait times texted to people as well as appointments for ED visits during off peak hours.

[paramedicmike]

This practice has been in use in Florida and I think California for a while now.

[Just Plain Ruff]

This practice has been in use in Florida and I think California for a while now.

It's also in practice in the Kansas city area at about 8 or so hospitals.

[HERBIE1]

Sheesh. Posting wait times?

Around here, the billboards aren't big enough to post those huge numbers. Can you say 8, 10, 12 hours or more?

[Timmy]

I know we run Emergency Departments in Australia a little diffrent from the US, we tend not to encourage primary health patients to attend ED rather to seek assistance from there local doctor at a medical clinic. But this does not always work as we still see a high number of minor treatment cases present. I think posting billboards around town is a waste of time and money, just think of the how ever many thousands of dollars the hospital is spending on getting these things set up, hiring the signs ect. Could we not use this money to provide a better service?

I mean, at the end of the day... You either need a doctor or you dont...

[Richard B the EMT]

Timmy, I believe the reference is actually IN the ER waiting room, not outside the facility. U S hospitals have policy, required by law, that any patient that is presented, or presents themselves, at an ER will be seen, with no regard if they can pay or not (work that detail out later).

That they will be seen in the ER is not in doubt. WHEN they will be seen, however, is the question.