Emergencies Don't Wait. Neither Should You

DENVER, May 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Managing your health just got easier with the launch of Emergency Room (ER) wait times for adult and pediatric HealthONE ERs throughout the Denver metro area. The new Denver smart phone application, HealthONE Fast LocatER, will provide wait times directly to your smart phone as well as locate the nearest HealthONE ER, find a physician, make an appointment request, call 911 and more.

Beginning this month, HealthONE will be the first hospital system in Colorado to make pediatric and adult ER wait times widely available to the public. Colorado emergency department visits increased from 844,719 in 1998 to 1,735,521 in 2010 for an increase of 105.5%.

The national average ER wait time is one hour, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HealthONE ERs commit to achieving an average wait time of less than 30 minutes and for children under the age of 18 years old, a wait less than 20 minutes. The 'ER Wait Time' represents the approximate time it takes for a patient to see an ER provider (physician, P.A. or nurse practitioner) after arrival to begin treatment.

"We [HealthONE] want to give our patients the information they need to make an informed decision about where to go for their health care and give them some personal control over the experience," said HealthONE Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Bussey. "When combined with HealthONE quality and safety improvement initiatives, our specialists can treat patients faster while meeting even higher patient-care standards."

In addition to the HealthONE Fast LocatER app, wait times can also be obtained from visiting a HealthONE hospital's website, texting "ER" to 720-523-3888, or calling 720-523-3888 for automated wait time updates. Digital billboards throughout the Denver metro area too will reflect current HealthONE ER wait times, updated every 30 minutes.

HealthONE Fast LocatER not only provides patients and families with ER wait times, but also

• Locates the nearest HealthONE ER to where you are (GPS sourced from your phone)
• Driving Directions to nearest HeatlhONE ER
• 911 Connect Call
• Connect by phone your nearest HealthONE ER
• Find a HealthONE Specialist or Primary Care Doctor
• Request an appointment with a physician

HealthONE Fast LocatER is coming soon. Updates as to its availability will be posted on www.HealthONEcares.com/ER.

People experiencing major medical emergencies including life-, limb- or sight-threatening injuries, severe illness, heart attack or stroke symptoms should call 911 immediately. If your emergency isn't life-threatening, HealthONE's Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children's First Call, a pediatric nurse triage line, is a free service to assist patients in accessing the right care at the right time. Parents can call with emergency questions about their children when their doctors' office is closed.

HealthONE also announced earlier this month the new addition of 18 telemedicine Remote Presence Robotic devices throughout the Rocky Mountain Region to provide FASTer stroke and neurological care. "When faced with any medical emergency, we know our patients want the highest-quality care in a timely manner and HealthONE continues to make the operational investments required to provide that for our patients," said Bussey.

About HealthONE

HealthONE is the largest healthcare system in the metro Denver area with 8,700 employees and 3,000 affiliated physicians. The health system is a Colorado company created in 1995 as a 50/50 joint venture between non-profit The Colorado Health Foundation, Colorado's second largest charitable foundation, and various affiliates of HCA (NYSE: HCA). 

HealthONE includes: The Medical Center of Aurora and Centennial Medical Plaza; North Suburban Medical Center; Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center (P/SL) and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children; Rose Medical Center; Sky Ridge Medical Center; Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital; Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Southwest ER; 13 ambulatory surgical centers; more than 30 occupational medicine/rehabilitation, specialty, and outpatient diagnostic imaging clinics; and AIRLIFE Denver, which provides critical care air and ground transportation for an eight-state region.

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SOURCE HealthONE