In the event that treatment requires specialty medical services such as cardiology and/or neurology, which may not be readily available within the emergency department, patients are diagnosed, stabilized and transferred to another facility. When emergency transfers are necessary, patients may be transferred by means of ground ambulance or flight care.

Welcome to the Emergency Department                                              
We would like to explain some of the things you may experience while you are visiting the Emergency Department.

Triage
Whether you bring yourself, a family member brings you, or you are brought to the hospital by ambulance, you will speak with a Registered Nurse about why you are here. The first nurse that will speak to you is the Triage nurse. He/she is the nurse that records why you are here and determines whether you should be taken directly into the Emergency Department or asked to wait in the waiting room.

Please keep in mind that Emergency Department customers are not necessarily seen in the order of their arrival to the hospital, but based on the nature and severity of their illness or injury and the availability of an appropriate exam room.

Registration                                                                                         
Your next step in the process is registration. You or if you are too ill, a family member will speak with one of the registration clerks. The clerk will want to know what illness or injury brings you to the hospital today, your name, address, allergies, and who your regular doctor is. The registration clerk will also ask you or your family member to sign a consent form. This gives us permission to treat you in the Emergency Department and to bill your insurance carrier. This clerk will also review your insurance information.

In the Emergency Department
The Emergency Department has 9 different patient care rooms. You will be seen by a physician and may experience some or all of the following:
• Ongoing care by a Registered Nurse
• Blood draws for laboratory test. This test may take as long as one hour or more to be completed.
• Transport to x-ray for an x-ray. X-rays take only a short time to be taken, but the Emergency Department physician as well as the Radiology physician must examine the x-rays and make a determination before you know the results.
• An EKG (heart tracing)
• Depending on the test results, you may need:

• Medications	• Stitches
• IV fluids	• Splints
• A visit from a Specialist	• Surgery
• Bandages	• Admission to the hospital
• Transfer to another hospital