PRZOOM - /newswire/ - Portsmouth, NH, United States, 09/01/2010 - Patients visiting the emergency room at Portsmouth Regional Hospital no longer need to guess how long they'll wait before receiving care.

Now they can find out in advance, thanks to a new program that publicizes the hospital's average wait time via text messaging and or the internet.

To find out our current average wait time Text "ER" to 23000 or visit portsmouthhospital.com/.

This new transparency of ER wait times is a celebration of more than 18-months of work by the ER to improve the speed at which we get the patient to the provider to begin their exam. We know that Seacoast families are busier than ever and that every minute matters when someone is ill or injured. Our team has worked hard to ensure that patients receive quick attention when they most need it and now patients will have visibility to just how quickly they will be seen by the provider.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the average hospital ER wait time is 55 minutes from 38 minutes, 10 years ago.

This technology has been piloted by several HCA (Hospital Corporation of America) owned hospitals is designed for patients with relatively minor medical conditions such as a sports injury or dehydration—not for those with chest pain or other potentially life threatening health issues. Those patients should call 911 so they can receive life saving measures in the ambulance prior to reaching the hospital.

Wait times are updated every 30 minutes. The term wait time is defined as the time between entering the ER and the beginning of the medical screening examination from a qualified medical professional- a physician, a physician assistant or nurse practitioner.

For further information go to the hospital website portsmouthhospital.com

About Portsmouth Regional Hospital:

Portsmouth Regional Hospital with its parent company, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) has contracted with JSA, Inc., a national architectural firm with offices in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for this project. Other local and regional companies hired include Granite State Plumbing and Heating, Interstate Electric, Hiltz Construction and more. Salmon Falls nursery has been responsible for many of the external rock walls and plantings.

The entire project, which is ahead of schedule, is expected to be completed in late November 2010. For further information go to portsmouthhospital.com

Agency / Source: Kirk Communications

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