Valley Hospital Speedy When it Comes to ER Wait Times

Those needing emergency care will on average wait a shorter period of time to be seen and treated by medical professionals at Valley Hospital than at the average New Jersey hospital, according to federal Medicare and Medicaid program data.

According to the data – which compiles statistics from Jan. 2011 through June 2012 – it takes an average of 20 minutes for a patient sent to the ER to be seen at Valley; the state average is 35 minutes, and competitor Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) averages 58 minutes. (It should be noted that Hackensack is a state-licensed Trauma II center, so it deals with a wider range of serious traumas.)

Valley also comes out ahead of the state and HUMC in the average wait for a room, 80 minues, nearly half as long as the state average (141 minutes) and significantly less than HUMC (252 minutes). Further, it takes less time to receive painkillers at Valley (266 minutes) than most hospials in the Garden State. 

"A few years ago, we took an organization-wide approach to addressing patient flow, quality and satisfaction issues that tend to manifest themselves in the Emergency Department," said Peter Diestel, COO of Valley. "These include addressing long door-to-doctor times, timely discharges, long lengths of stay in the Emergency Department for patients being admitted, and patients leaving without being seen."

The hospital also improved inter-departmental communication, and brought more technological advancements to better meet patient needs, Diestel said.

"I am very proud of all of our physicians and staff who have done a tremendous job in implementing these new initiatives to help us better serve our patients and their families."