| Abbeville Area Medical Center exceeded its Emergency Department wait time goals for 2011. Each month last year, the hospital saw and discharged patients in an average of less than two hours. The announcement was made today by Sharon Martin, BS RN NHA, Emergency Department Director.
AAMC’s wait times are significantly lower than the national average. Patients in the United States spend an average of four hours in the Emergency Department during a typical visit. According to Martin, the hospital implemented changes that led to the lower wait times.
“Last year, we initiated a new triage system in order to prioritize our patients more appropriately and to better identify the needs of each patient,” said Martin. “This has helped us reduce time spent in the Emergency Room.”
Martin also credits the hospital’s timely care to AAMC’s Medical Director, Dr. Don Abernethy and Physician Hospital Partners, which works with the hospital in contracting the Emergency Department physician staff.
Dr. Abernethy is heavily involved in measures to insure quick triage, low wait times, and safe treatment for all patients, and works closely with other highly qualified physicians who help staff the hospital’s Emergency Department.
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