Central Carolina HEALTH - Winter 2015 - (Page 13)

Fast Track Tools HOLD YOUR PLACE IN LINE. ONLINE. What should you do when you need emergency care but your symptoms are not life-threatening? Visit mycch.com to schedule a projected treatment time and wait in the comfort of your own home. to the ER Thanks to the ER Express online service, Emma Simpson didn't have to wait long for treatment at CCH M elinda Simpson knew she had no choice but to take her 3-year-old daughter, Emma, to the emergency room. It was Saturday night, after primary care office hours, and Emma's fever had held steady at 104 degrees. Melinda suspected a urinary tract infection because of the way Emma had been feeling the previous week. But with four kids, the ER wasn't a place she wanted to wait for the care Emma needed. She'd made the trip recently when her 16-year-old needed stitches after a sports injury. Then, her 19-month-old fell while trying to climb out of his crib. It was a challenge to entertain the kids and sit in a crowded room with sick people waiting to see a doctor. But this time, Melinda remembered a service she had seen on the CCH website. "I told my oldest son, Dennis, to go on his phone and see if he could ﬁnd it," Melinda says. "I thought if it worked, maybe we wouldn't have to wait so long." The Simpsons used the hospital's ER Express, an online service that allows patients with minor injuries or needs to reserve a place on the waiting list. Instead of spending time in a crowded waiting room, patients can select a projected treatment time online and relax elsewhere until it's time to go to the ER. Dennis helped his mom answer questions about Emma and ﬁlled in the blanks. When they arrived at the hospital, they were surprised to be seen on time. SHORTER WAIT TIMES ER Express has been well received. During the past decade, the number of visits to emergency departments nationwide has increased by 32 percent, a ﬁgure expected to double over the next 10 years. At the same time, the number of emergency departments in the United States has decreased by 4.6 percent-leading to average wait times of nearly four hours. In North Carolina, hospital administrators are rethinking the emergency department to deliver better medicine. With ER Express, nurses can greet patients in a care setting similar to a daytime primary care clinic, separating acutely ill patients from those who are not as sick. This practice is designed so that patients in better health can be cared for and released without being admitted to the hospital while critically ill patients can be treated immediately. Although a patient's chosen service time may occasionally be adjusted based on critical care needs, ER Express makes a trip to the emergency room much easier for non-acute needs. HEADING BACK HOME Emma was seen by a doctor within 10 minutes of her arrival at CCH, much to the relief of her family. "We didn't have to sit for long in a crowded waiting room because they could see that we'd registered online," says Melinda. Just a few days earlier, Melinda had taken Emma to her primary care physician for a persistent fever. The doctor thought that she might have a virus because she had no apparent symptoms. In the ER, Melinda asked the pediatric hospitalist on call if Emma might have a urinary tract infection. She had noticed that Emma's urine smelled particularly strong. A test proved that Melinda's hunch was right. Emma's infection had been causing her fever to persist and spike at certain times of day. She was treated with an antibiotic and released-just two hours after arriving at CCH. Emma was fast asleep before the family even arrived home. C E N T R A LC A R O L I N A H O S P I TA L .C O M | 13 http://www.mycch.com http://www.CENTRALCAROLINAHOSPITAL.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Central Carolina HEALTH - Winter 2015

Contents

Central Carolina HEALTH - Winter 2015