Hospital tries to cut ER waiting times

Hospital tries to cut ER waiting times - Saturday, 08/20/05:
Hendersonville Medical Center uses a 5-level triage system and
is one of 3 HCA facilities with electronic medical records.

By TODD PACK
Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, 08/20/05

Rather than scribbling notes on paper charts, emergency room
nurses at Hendersonville Medical Center are typing patient information into
electronic medical records, using laptop computers.

It's one of several ways the Sumner County hospital, part of
Nashville-based HCA Inc., is trying to reduce waiting times and move patients
through the ER faster.

HCA, the country's largest hospital chain, wants to
streamline its ERs because that's where many people decide whether they dislike
a hospital, a spokesman said.

"We looked at our overall patient satisfaction
(scores), and we looked at different departments, and (emergency) was among the
lowest," in big part because of the usually long waits, said the spokesman,
Ed Fishbough.

A hospital, like any other business, competes for customers.
If patients have bad experiences in Hendersonville's ER, they're more likely to
choose some other hospital for non-emergency care, he said.