Scheduling emergency room appointments online helps hospitals to reduce the overcrowding and long wait times.

1. Online Emergency Room Appointments Reduce Wait Times
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2. If a medical urgency strikes your family, the prime concern you have is the
quality and immediate care your loved ones receive when they arrive at the
hospital. According to federal reports from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2013, more than 20% of US residents make an annual emergency
department visit.
Certain medical conditions such as heart attacks or any other life-threatening
injuries are typically examined by doctors as soon they arrive at the hospital.
However, in certain less urgent cases patients arriving at emergency rooms (ER)
need to wait for long hours receiving pain medications and having different tests
before seeing a doctor. In such situations, patients have little means to know how
long they need to wait.
In an effort to reduce the overcrowding at healthcare facilities with long waiting
times, a large number of hospitals allow scheduling emergency room
appointments online. With the expansion of health insurance coverage under
the Affordable Care Act (ACA), ERs in many healthcare facilities are reporting
overcrowding. The wait times at some facilities far exceed the reported national
average of 28 minutes. Presently, a large number of hospitals are allowing
patients to make ER appointments online.
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3. Observers in the healthcare domain say that the new technology will boost patient
satisfaction scores. Patients value the convenience offered by this online system as
this will help them to know the correct time of their appointment thereby avoiding
the emergency room crunch times. Streamlining the process of ER experience for
patients is essential, but along with that hospitals need to assess patients quickly
and improve communication with them, which may lead to better pain
management.
Amidst all the arguments related to the benefits of this system, critics say that
online scheduling of ED care is not a cost-effective option as this could encourage
patients to seek care in expensive settings when they could be going to less
expensive and urgent-care centers. If the new system is to deliver the right care at
the right place at the right time, then people who can schedule appointments
ER appointments are not meant for people suffering from serious disorders, for
instance life threatening diseases and debilitating medical conditions. For
instance, patients experiencing chest pain, persistent bleeding or trouble
breathing can directly get entry into the ER. On the other hand, those with ankle
sprain or fever have an option to schedule an appointment. Patients need to
disclose in the online form the reason for their visit indicating that they can wait
until their scheduled appointment time. Even in such cases, their appointment
may be delayed if there are more seriously ill patients.
The new approach enables hospitals and its medical staff to know who may be
coming through the emergency room door, thereby eliminating patient crowding
and waiting times. It helps to build up a loyal clientele among patients as well.
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4. Observers in the healthcare domain say that the new technology will boost
patient satisfaction scores. Patients value the convenience offered by this online
system as this will help them to know the correct time of their appointment
thereby avoiding the emergency room crunch times. Streamlining the process of
ER experience for patients is essential, but along with that hospitals need to
assess patients quickly and improve communication with them, which may lead
to better pain management.
Amidst all the arguments related to the benefits of this system, critics say that
online scheduling of ED care is not a cost-effective option as this could
encourage patients to seek care in expensive settings when they could be going
to less expensive and urgent-care centers. If the new system is to deliver the
right care at the right place at the right time, then people who can schedule
appointments should do so at their physicians' offices, as this would facilitate ERs
to take care of people who have emergencies.
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5. About Outsource Strategies International
Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a reputable medical outsourcing
solutions provider based in Tulsa, Oklahoma offering advanced medical billing
and coding solutions for hospitals, physicians, physicians' groups, clinics and
other healthcare entities. Find more details at: www.outsourcestrategies.com
Contact Us
8596 E. 101st Street, Suite H
Tulsa, OK 74133
Main: (800) 670 2809
Fax: (877) 835-5442
E-mail: info@managedoutsource.com
URL: www.outsourcestrategies.com