Easton Hospital Launches ER 30-Minute Service Pledge 

Easton, PA (May 9, 2012): When you’re experiencing a health care emergency, the last thing you want to do is wait. Emergency medicine is about three things: compassion, skilled care and speed. Easton Hospital knows the importance of prompt service – especially in the emergency room (ER). “That’s why Easton Hospital is launching a 30-Minute ER Service Pledge – to assure patients that we are dedicated not only to offering the best quality care, but also to providing that care as efficiently and quickly as possible,” said Brian Finestein, Easton Hospital CEO.

When a patient enters the ER at Easton Hospital the arrival time is noted. The 30-Minute ER Service Pledge begins the minute a patient checks in at the ER desk. “Our pledge is that a clinical professional will work diligently to initially see each patient within 30 minutes or less of their arrival to begin the evaluation and treatment. When the patient is seen by a clinical professional, defined as a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, the time is logged on the patient’s chart – so we can track our performance in keeping our pledge of low ER wait times,” said Finestein.

“While the goal of Easton Hospital’s ER pledge is to work diligently to initially see every patient within 30 minutes, the most critical health emergencies will always receive top priority,” said Dr. David Ligor, ER Medical Director.

The hospital records and monitors many ER indicators as part of its ongoing quality improvement process. “One of the items we track is patient wait times in the ER to determine how efficiently we triage patients and get them to a clinical professional for initial evaluation and treatment,” said Dr. Ligor. “I’m pleased to report that the vast majority of patients at Easton Hospital’s ER were already being seen within 30 minutes of their arrival time.”

From January through March 2012, the average wait time in the Easton Hospital ER to be seen by a clinical professional was 24 minutes. 

 Easton Hospital’s ER Pledge The hospital will launch the 30-Minute ER Service Pledge on May 14, 2012. “We believe this service pledge will distinguish us from other health care providers in the area, and underline our commitment to the people who live and work in the Easton area and surrounding communities,” Finestein said.

“While we are committed to prompt and appropriate care for our ER patients, the 30-Minute ER pledge should not be misinterpreted as an effort to rush patients though the ER,” Dr. Ligor adds. “Our process improvements focus on getting ER patients into a treatment room as quickly as possible, enabling our clinical professionals to see a patient and begin diagnosis and treatment in a timely manner.”

The community can view Easton Hospital’s average ER wait time -- based on a two-hour rolling average, updated every 15 minutes – on the internet at Easton-Hospital.com.

Easton Hospital's ER provides urgent and emergency care 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. Located in the Ambulatory Care Building of the main hospital campus, the department is staffed by fully qualified emergency room physicians, nurses and specialists. Comprehensive emergency care services include orthopedic, cardiac, stroke, OB/GYN, pediatric, ear, nose and throat, medical and surgical care.