Media Contact: Pamela Walrod (714) 524-4851
pamela.walrod@tenethealth.com
Placentia-Linda Hospital Announces “Now Taking Reservations in the ER”
Point and Click. Check In Online. Skip The Waiting Room.
PLACENTIA, CA – December 2, 2010 – Placentia-Linda Hospital is pleased to introduce an online advance registration process that allows non-life-threatening emergency patients to bypass the emergency department waiting room. Now at Placentia-Linda Hospital, knowing where to go, how long the wait time in the ER is and reserving a spot ahead of time is as simple as point and click!
While Placentia-Linda Hospital already has systems in place and experienced staff to help the hospital achieve shorter wait times in the ER, we strive to continually find new ways to enhance the patient experience and make it convenient to come to the ER. InQuickER is just another way the hospital is working to meet that goal.
What is InQuickER?
When people are in need of hospital care but aren’t experiencing symptoms severe enough to require immediate attention or the need to call 911, InQuickER can help them avoid waiting in the ER. This online program allows users to view current ER wait times and schedule a time for a visit that is convenient for their schedule and shorten the amount of time spent in the waiting room. When making a reservation in the ER, a place is held for you and you are given the opportunity to wait in the comfort of your own home.
“At PL, we already strive to provide five-star quality service as quick as possible and our healthcare professionals and ER physicians do a good job of keeping our wait times to an average of 30-minutes to see a healthcare professional,” states Rhonda Sausedo, Emergency Room Director at Placentia-Linda Hospital. “We are very excited about this new tool as it will make our patient’s access to our ER and visit even more convenient and help ease anxiety when they’re hurting.”
How to Use InQuickER
Simply go to www.placentialinda.com and select the “InQuickER” animated “ticket” on the home page. This will take the user directly to the InQuickER site for Placentia-Linda where they can see current wait times and available times to schedule their visit. Patients are then asked to complete some information about their medical history and symptoms.
Users can schedule with InQuickER for a convenience fee of $14.99. If you arrive on time to your scheduled reservation time and you are not seen by a healthcare professional within 15 minutes of your projected treatment time, InQuickER will refund your online registration fee.
While InQuickER can be a valuable tool, it’s not intended to take the place of a visit to the ER when emergency care is needed. “We do want to emphasize that the InQuickER appointment system is designed for patients and parents with small children with relatively minor medical conditions,” adds Anne Marie Watkins, Chief Nursing Officer. “If your emergency is potentially life-threatening such as heart attack, stroke or traumatic injuries, you should call 911 and get to the closest ER as soon as possible. Patients with such medical emergencies are always seen immediately.”
ER Wait Time Technology Also Offered
Before heading to the ER, residents can now also access the hospital’s website at www.placentialinda.com and check out the average door-to-bed wait time with our wait time clock. Door-to-bed wait time is the average time a patient waits to be escorted to a bed from the time they arrive in the ER. The time is tracked using a statistical tracker system that transfers data to an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed. The feed automatically displays and updates the time online. Wait times reflect a rolling two-hour average and are updated every five minutes. Patients are seen in priority order based on the type and severity of their medical complaint.
The emergency department at Placentia-Linda Hospital treats approximately 25,000 patients each year. Patients to the emergency department are separated by clinical need into specialized care areas. All patients benefit from advanced technology, quick response, and an experienced team of professionals who care for patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Construction will begin in late 2010 on PL’s 11-bay E.R. to increase it to 21 bays to provide even better quality care for all patients.
Placentia-Linda Hospital is a 114-bed acute care hospital located at 1301 N. Rose Drive in Placentia. Since opening its doors in 1972, the hospital has grown into a multi-service facility. Specialties include gastroenterology services, orthopedic and joint replacement services, Spine Center, general surgery, minimally invasive surgery, a 24-hour emergency department, Imaging Center including Open High Field MRI and all digital technology as well as bariatric and wound care services.
Placentia-Linda employees and physicians are dedicated to providing quality health care with a personal touch. We strive to provide our patients the best possible quality care and customer service you’ve come to expect. Placentia-Linda is fully accredited by the Joint Commission. To learn more about Placentia-Linda Hospital, we invite you to please visit our web site at www.placentialinda.com or call us at (714) 993-2000.
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About InQuickER:
InQuickER is a privately-held, Atlanta-based company founded in 2006 that provides patients with an online check-in system for emergency department and urgent care services. InQuickER is available at a growing list of hospitals and urgent care facilities across the United States. For more information about InQuickER, please visit www.inquicker.com.