DELAND, Fla, September 11, 2008 - Florida Hospital DeLand knows pain and patience does not mix; therefore, their emergency department promises - From Door to Doctor in Under an  Hour.  

That is 3 hours less than the national average, according to Press Ganey Emergency Department Pulse Report.  On average, Americans in need of emergency care can expect to spend an average of four hours and five minutes in the Emergency Department.

Not only does Florida Hospital DeLand adhere to their promise of less than an hour but beats it with an average wait under 30 minutes.

To shorten the wait, Florida Hospital DeLand offers a Fast Track area in the Emergency Department designated for patients who have minor injuries or illnesses.  This significantly decreases the wait time for all emergency room patients. 

“Minor care patients are identified and sent to the appropriate areas after triage, while the major care cases are placed in open rooms and diagnostic workup begins quickly based on their symptoms,” said Patricia Scott RN BSN MBA CEN, Chief Nursing Officer at Florida Hospital DeLand. 

Electronic tracking gives real-time results and a sense of exactly how long the Emergency Department visit has lasted.

Shorter waits have become a priority since Emergency Departments have become the front doors to hospitals. 

At Florida Hospital DeLand, over seventy percent of admissions come through the emergency department first.  This is mainly because the emergency department is open 24/7 whereas most physician offices are open significantly less. 

The Florida Hospital DeLand Emergency Department sees approximately 120 to 150 patients daily, for a yearly total of forty-nine thousand patients. 

 “We are a true community ED which can handle any emergency from a minor cut or scrape to a traumatic cardiac arrest for any age group. We are able to deliver the lifesaving care required to stabilize anyone who may need tertiary care from our ED,” said Scott.   “All staff is committed to providing the best patient care since we are caring for our friends, families, co-workers and community neighbors.”

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