Long ER waits could kill you

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - The next time you think about turning to the emergency room for treatment of that mystery stomach pain, consider that you may wait more than four hours to see a doctor.

That’s what researchers at the Press Ganey Associates Inc. found in a survey of 1,500 U.S. hospitals. Maryland ranked 45 out of 50 states for speed of service in the emergency waiting room, with an average wait time of four hours and 37 minutes.

“The bottom line is there’s just a lot of people,” said Nancy Fiedler, senior vice president of communications for the Maryland Hospital Association. “In Maryland we have fewer emergency room beds [per capita] than in other parts of the country.”

In 1990, Maryland’s emergency departments handled 4,000 patients a day, she said. In 2006, that rose to 6,200 people per day.

Ultimately, the problem causes logistical trouble for ambulances and fire and rescue personnel, as yellow and red alerts by hospital lead to new patients being diverted to other hospitals.

“That means they are not able to go to, in many cases, what might be the closest hospital,” she said.

The Maryland Patient Safety Center is putting together a team of hospitals to discuss ways emergency departments can work together to reduce confusion and ease the strain on the patient, she said.

The national average is four hours, according to Press Ganey Associates Inc., a South Bend, Ind.-based company that measures patient satisfaction.

Dr. Melvin Hall, president and chief executive officer of Press Ganey, said hospitals in states with longer average visits should let patients know how long they’ll be in the emergency room to help patients better cope with the situation.

khille@baltimoreexaminer.com

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