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Community Hospital South ER expedites triage process with Express Care; Patients receive high-quality emergency care with reduced wait times

For release on November 10, 2011

Indianapolis, IN---Community Hospital South has launched a new triage process in the emergency room that is designed to improve patient flow and reduce wait times, particularly for patients with minor illnesses and injuries. Known as Express Care, this expedited triage is available during traditionally high-volume hours in the ER, from 2:00 to 11:00 p.m. every day.

“We understand our patients’ desire to see an emergency provider and receive treatment within minutes of walking through the ER front door,” said Sarah Knisely-King, R.N., emergency room director at Community Hospital South. “This process is designed to do just that.”

As patients enter the emergency room during Express Care hours, they receive an initial assessment by a registered nurse. Based on the nature of their injury or illness, they will be placed into one of two categories, essentially “splitting” the patient flow through the ER. Patients with a more acute condition are placed in a separate queue from Express Care patients, who can be treated and released more quickly. The goal is to provide patients with minor illnesses and injuries—such as an ear infection, cold, cough, or minor cut—proper medical care right in the triage area, so they don’t have to wait for an ER bed to become available.

Patients should note that Express Care is still considered an emergency room service and will be billed accordingly. Also, while every effort will be made for Express Care patients to be seen as quickly as possible, an unexpected heavy influx of ER patients may result in a longer-than-anticipated wait.

About Community Hospital South
Community Hospital South is an acute care hospital located at 1402 East County Line Road. With a vast array of surgical capabilities, maternity care, emergency room services and cardiovascular care, Community Hospital South provides an exceptional patient and family experience for the residents of southern Marion and Johnson Counties. Ranked among the nation’s most integrated healthcare systems, Community Health Network is Central Indiana’s leader in access to innovative and compassionate healthcare services, where and when patients need them—in hospitals, in convenient health pavilions and doctor’s offices, in the workplace, at schools, in the home and online. As a non-profit health system with multiple sites of care and affiliates throughout Indiana, Community’s full continuum of care integrates hundreds of physicians, acute care and specialty hospitals, surgery centers, physician offices, home care services, walk-in care centers and employer health services. To put the needs and the convenience of patients first, Community pioneers advanced treatments and world-class health information technologies, with a focus on ease of access to exceptional care.

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Courtney Jones, Media Relations
Courtney Jones
Media Relations