A few years ago, when my youngest daughter was three years old, she slipped while in the shower and the back of her head landed really hard against the edge of a shelf in the shower. There was much blood, screaming and then a scary unresponsiveness, and I was completely terrified that she was going to be brain damaged. Her dad and I scooped her up and took off for the nearest ER. Our time spent in the waiting room ended up being a miserable, scary seven hours.
I recently read an article in The Arizona Republic that this same hospital, Chandler Regional, has streamlined its ER intake process, allowing some patients to be treated and discharged within 30 to 45 minutes. Now, there is a doctor stationed at the front, making decisions on whether or not a patient needs to be seen immediately on a new "fast track" course or simply treated with meds while in the waiting room. Apparently this new streamlined process has started at Mercy Gilbert as well.
I'm wondering if this is becoming a new trend among hospitals and if anyone has noticed a change in the amount of time spent in the ER.