Lagniappe at the ER on Orlando Medical News

Lagniappe at the ER

By: LYNNE JETER

Posted: Monday, March 14, 2011 2:42 pm

Lagniappe at the ER | St. Cloud Regional Medical Center, Christy Mize, ER Extra, NASCAR, Mark Martin, iPhone, iPad, smartphones.

St. Cloud Regional Rolls Out Smartphone App in Phase II of HMA’s “ER Extra” Campaign

ST. CLOUD—During Hospital Week last May, Health Management Associates (NYSE: HMA) unveiled its “ER Extra” initiative at St. Cloud Regional Medical Center and other HMA hospitals in Florida. The multi-faceted program focuses on improved wait times and patient experiences, reduced lengths of stay, and boosted patient satisfaction at its emergency room facilities. The initiative ties into the company’s goal of continuous improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of its ER operations, while also promoting superior patient care.

Already, St. Cloud Regional’s Emergency Department wait times were consistently far below the national average. (See a complete list below of HMA hospitals that have initiated the “ER Extra” program.)

NASCAR driver Mark Martin helped launch the national campaign in Florida, emphasizing that HMA’s “ER Extra” program provides ER patients with “extras” around the clock, instead of relegating them to the tedious, frustrating, and time-consuming waiting game often associated with ERs across the country.

Last spring, HMA began rolling out the first phase of the program in select facilities around the country, including St. Cloud Regional. The internal launch began with hospital administrators outlining the program to ER leaders, educating staff members on “ER Extra” details, and introducing the initiative to local EMS teams. Community outreach involved a series of print ads, radio commercials, TV spots and outdoor billboards, along with giveaways, direct mail circulars, e-newsletters and online marketing. Late last summer, St. Cloud Regional garnered the local limelight when the hospital began posting ER wait times online. When the holiday season rolled around, HMA leaders had another surprise for patients and their families in the community.

“During the week of Christmas, we embraced the ‘extra great’ portion of the tagline—extra fast, extra easy, extra great—with Christmas presents for 60 children who were patients in the Emergency Department,” explained Christy Mize, spokesperson for St. Cloud Regional.

This month, St. Cloud Regional and other HMA hospitals in Florida will kick off the second phase of its “ER Extra” campaign with the debut of HMA’s signature iPhone app, a free service designed specifically to provide wait times, a map, a link to the main hospital website and the phone number of the nearest HMA hospital.

Even though the app is dedicated solely to iPhone and iPad users, HMA has also created mobile sites that allow similar features to be used on all smartphones. The mobile sites are designed to recognize that the user is accessing a website via their smartphone instead of a traditional computer.

“When you search for the name of a Health Management hospital, and click on the link, you’ll immediately see a very important safety reminder,” said Mize. The reminder reads: Information in this application is not a substitute for medical advice. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911.

Users are then prompted to continue to the hospital’s “ER Extra” webpage, where they may view the current wait time, click through for directions to the hospital or to call the facility. They may also opt to view the hospital’s full website.

“ER wait times are tracked by the ProMed tool,” explained Mize. “They reflect the average wait time of the patients that were triaged during the previous hour. The data comes to our hospital in a feed directly from a tool, which tracks time-to-triage.”

With the median age in St. Cloud Regional’s primary market at a tech-savvy 38 years, HMA leaders view the new app as another method to reach different age groups and demographics to better serve the community’s needs.

“We also know that many times, children and young adults need to make medical decisions for their parents or grandparents in emergency situations,” said Mize.

Upon arrival in the reception area, the ER staff provides a patient and family members with copies of the HMA-published ER Extra Emergency Room Experience Guide. As patients advance to exam rooms to await being seen by a medical provider, and while families are waiting in the ER lobby, hospital personnel monitor activity and provide routine updates.

“All of these tools are made possible because of strides made last year in providing ER wait times online,” said Mize. “These new tools will only further enhance patients’ experiences and allow St. Cloud Regional Medical Center (and other HMA hospitals) to reach the goal of exceeding expectations.”

HMA “ER Extra” Hospitals in Florida:

In addition to St. Cloud Regional Medical Center in St. Cloud, the following HMA hospitals have initiated the “ER Extra” program, offering ER wait times posted online and HMA’s signature iPhone app: