Patient Wait Times for Non-life Threatening ER Care Now on Website

Carteret Health Care (CHC) is committed to providing the best possible care to every patient. In the Emergency Department, we strive to keep your wait time as short as possible while also keeping you informed. To this end, CHC has enhanced their website, www.CarteretHealth.org to include emergency room average wait times for non-emergent visits and non-life threatening illness or injury.

On the right margin of the newly designed website homepage, patients can see the estimated wait times prior to coming to the hospital emergency room so that they can better plan for their non-life threatening visit. The average wait time provided on the website is based on a one-hour rolling average and is updated every 30 minutes.

These estimated wait times reflect the time between the patient’s arrival to the emergency department and when that patient has care initiated or ordered by a doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant which could occur when initially triaged. This care to diagnose and treat patients before they have been assigned a room may include ordering lab tests, x-rays, or other diagnostic tests.

It’s important to understand that posted wait times reflect current waiting conditions for non-emergent needs and do not factor in patients with life threatening illness or injury such as chest pains or trouble breathing. For medical emergencies, always call 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency department. Accordingly, wait times are subject to change depending on the influx of patients and the severity of their conditions. That is why, like all hospitals, we have to perform triage, the process of prioritizing our patients according to the severity of their illness or injury.

Making wait times more easily accessible shows CHC’s commitment to transparency along with serving the community in the most efficient way. The newly designed website also includes the addition of the Mayo Health Library with Mayo Clinic vetted education for patients. Visit www.CarteretHealth.org to learn more.