EMERGENCY SERVICES
Nobody wants-or expects-to visit the emergency room. But accidents do happen and people do get sick. So it's nice to know that there's a hospital close by that is equipped to deal with emergency situations with the highest quality care.

Bartow Regional Medical Center's full-service Emergency Department provides experienced physicians, highly skilled staff and advanced equipment, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"We've instituted a number of changes to make our emergency services better than ever," notes Brian James, M.D., Medical Director of Emergency Services. "One of those changes is our Fast Track system, which enables patients to move through the emergency department more smoothly."

With the Fast Track system, patients are seen by a triage nurse within minutes of their arrival. Patients who have non-emergency conditions, such as cuts or broken bones, are then seen by a physician in an area separate from where more urgent cases are treated. The more specialized focus of staff and resources results in quicker turnaround time for everyone.

"The system has really worked," says Dr. James. "We're seeing more patients this year, yet the time it takes between walking through our doors to being discharged has actually decreased by more than 30 percent."

"Our goal is to keep the total length of stay for a patient in our Emergency Department to 2 hours or less," notes Debbie Eubanks, R.N., Clinical Director of the Emergency Department. "That's pretty phenomenal for our area."

Bartow Regional Medical Center has also invested in new equipment for the emergency department, including computerized X-ray technology. With this technology, images are stored electronically rather than on film.

"This means I can easily share images with other specialists," explains Dr. James. "It makes for better communication with the people who will be following up with our patients."

Physicians outside the facility can also view X-ray images from either their home or office computers. This allows them to review a case more quickly and in greater detail than ever before.

Emergency services have also been enhanced by a new Cardiac Catheterization Lab, which opened this summer. The lab enables physicians to diagnose blockages in the heart's chambers and arteries. The emergency department also instituted a new computerized patient tracking system.

"The system lets us know the status of each patient at all times," says Eubanks. "We know whether they are in the lobby, triage or an exam room and exactly how long they've been waiting."

"What it really comes down to is our team," she adds. "You can have the best equipment in the world, but it won't make a difference without the commitment and skill of the staff. Our administration sets high expectations, and our staff takes pride in meeting those expectations."

<< Back to Services Listing