Time is On Your Side AT Wesley Medical Center’s ER

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. Wesley Medical Center knows the importance of prompt service – especially in the emergency room (ER).

“That’s why Wesley Medical Center is launching a 45-Minute ER Service Pledge – to assure patients that we are dedicated not only to offering quality care, but also to providing that care as efficiently as possible,” said Mike Neuendorf, Wesley Medical Center CEO. 

When a patient enters the ER at Wesley Medical Center, the arrival time is noted. The 45-Minute ER Service Pledge begins the minute a patient checks in at the ER desk. The Wesley pledge is that a provider will work diligently to initially see each patient within 45 minutes or less of their arrival to begin the evaluation and treatment. When the patient is seen by a physician or nurse practitioner, the time is logged on the patient’s chart to track performance in keeping the pledge of low ER wait times.

“While the goal of Wesley Medical Center’s ER pledge is to work diligently to initially see every patient within 45 minutes, the most critical health emergencies will always receive top priority,” said Dixie Norris, Director of Emergency Services for Wesley Medical Center.

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  provider for initial evaluation and treatment,” said Neuendorf. “We began implementing the new processes 60 days ago and I’m pleased to report the average wait time for the month of December was 36 minutes.”

“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 Hattiesburg community,” Neuendorf said.

Patients and visitors will be able to see current average ER wait times posted in convenient locations throughout the hospital. In addition, average wait times are displayed on the Wesley.com home page and featured on a billboard located on Hwy 98 near the hospital.

“While we are committed to prompt and appropriate care for our ER patients, the 45-Minute ER pledge should not be misinterpreted as an effort to rush patients though the ER,” he adds. “Our process improvements focus on getting ER patients into a treatment room as quickly as possible, enabling our providers to see a patient and begin diagnosis and treatment in a timely manner.”

For more information, call 601-268-8000. To view Wesley Medical Center’s weekly average ER wait time, visit our Emergency Services Page.