Patient Resources

Understanding Your Emergency Visit

When you visit any Memorial Health System Emergency Department (ED), we make every effort to take you directly to a room; however, at times when we are experiencing high patient volumes our teams utilize a process called ‘triage.’ To put it plainly, triage is arranging who gets seen first, in order of severity. This can mean that some patients may experience longer wait times than others, but only because they medically can wait longer than others. Please know our teams are working hard to get your care started as soon as possible.

Deciding on who is seen first

• Most urgent: A patient who is considered a top priority may be unresponsive or have immediate life-threatening conditions that require attention as soon as possible.
• Very urgent: Patients considered very urgent may have a condition that could easily become life-threatening if not treated soon. They require the close attention of care teams.
• Urgent: Patients are typically stable but require several different tests or studies that will take time.
• Less urgent: These are also patients who are stable but only need limited resources to meet their health care needs.
• Not urgent: These are the most stable patients, meaning they don’t need testing or to be admitted.

What to expect during your visit

Once you are taken to your exam room, many things can happen and sometimes, at the same time. Your providers will work together to coordinate your care, assess your condition, and treat accordingly. If testing is required, you will be asked to wait for the results.

• Labs: Blood or urine specimens are usually quick with results coming back in 45-90 minutes.
  Please be aware that there are less common labs that may require transport to Marietta Memorial Hospital for results.
• X-rays: Simple scans normally result in 60-90 minutes.
• CT-scans and ultrasounds: These are more advanced studies and can take from 60-180 minutes.

Results and next steps

Once your results are in, your provider(s) will look over your test results and discuss findings. Together, you will decide what your outcome will be:

• Return home with referrals or medicine
• Admission to the hospital for further testing or observation
• Transfer to a higher level of care facility

Discharge

At discharge, you will be given a packet of papers with a summary of your visit, contact information for follow-up care, a list of current medications and new prescriptions (if needed), care instructions, and MyMemorialChart information.

Admittance or transfer to the hospital

Before you are admitted to the hospital, there are a few things you should know about the process:

1. The provider at the emergency department must speak to the provider who will be overseeing your care at the hospital to give a report on your case.
2. The nursing supervisor at the hospital will assign you a bed based on your specific needs—this can take time based on availability.
3. If you are being transported to an outside facility, you will be taken by ambulance.
4. If you are transported from the Athens or Belpre Emergency Departments to Marietta Memorial Hospital, the transport may be billed to your insurance.

These steps all take time to accomplish, all the while you will be waiting at the emergency department. Whether you’re being transferred to our hospital or another outside facility, wait times can vary and will add to your time spent at the emergency department. This is often outside of the team’s control.