From a HNMC press release:

Sometimes the most painful part about going to the emergency room (ER) is the wait time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average hospital ER wait time to see a physician is nearly 56 minutes. Knowing where to go and how long the wait time in the ER is now as simple as point and click. Houston Northwest Medical Center recently introduced a new way for patients to find out ER wait times, before they ever leave the house.

Before heading to the ER, residents can now access the hospital’s website at www.hnmc.com and check out the average door-to-bed wait time. 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.

“We know that families are busier than ever and that every minute matters when you are ill or have a minor injury,” says Javier Deloza, RN, director of emergency medicine at Houston Northwest Medical Center . “Our teams have worked hard to ensure that patients receive attention when they most need it and now our community will know just how long the average wait time to a room is before they ever leave the house.”

The technology is designed for patients with relatively minor medical conditions. Patients with potentially life-threatening health problems should call 9-1-1 so they can receive life-saving measures in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Patients with medical emergencies, such as heart attack, stroke or traumatic injuries, are always seen immediately.

George Davis, M.D., emergency medicine director at Houston Northwest Medical Center says the technology is helping patients and the hospital address one of the most common complaints about emergency departments – long wait times. “A trip to the ER is something most people never want to have to face,” says Dr. Davis. “But for patients with non-life-threatening conditions, knowing before they come to the hospital what they can expect in terms of wait time in the ER can make their hospital visit less stressful.”

The emergency department at Houston Northwest Medical Center treats approximately 63,000 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. The 49-bed unit is equipped with two trauma rooms and 47 private treatment rooms to provide quality care for all patients. Houston Northwest Medical Center is one of six hospitals in Houston designated a Level III trauma facility by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Patients whose complaints are less urgent or life threatening may be directed to the Fast Track unit within the emergency department. The unit is open daily from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. to provide care for minor medical emergencies, such as cuts that require stitches, sprains, sore throats or other ailments. The same level of care offered in the emergency department by qualified medical staff is provided in the Fast Track unit. The goal of the Fast Track Unit is to provide care more quickly. For more information about emergency services offered at Houston Northwest Medical Center , visit www.hnmc.com.