Fast-food ER service
Seen on MSNBC’s Countdown:
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton, N.J., which won the Baldrige Quality Award last week, promises ER patients will see a nurse within 15 minutes, a doctor within 30 or the room is free.
• CentraState Healthcare in Freehold, N.J., offers the same.
• Central Montgomery Medical Center in Lansdale, Pa., guarantees a nurse will see patients in 15 minutes unless delayed by an emergency such as a heart attack, or the room is free.
• Medical Center of Southeastern Oklahoma in Durant promises triage in 15 minutes, or there is no room charge.
• Aurora Medical Centers in Green Bay, De Pere and Two Rivers, Wis., might have the most generous plan: Care must begin in 33 minutes or room and doctor fees are waived.
A sly way to boost revenues – and it’s working. Some ER’s report increasing the number of visits by up to 50 percent.
