A recent report by Press Ganey Associates, Inc., a South Bend, Indiana firm specializing in health care performance measurement and improvement, showed nationally that in 2007, patient perception of the average time spent in the emergency department (ED) was 4 hours, 5 minutes.  The “Emergency Department Pulse Report: Patient Perspectives on American Health Care” analyzed the experience of more than 1.5 million patients treated at 1,656 emergency departments nationwide.  The report showed a wide variation from state to state in the amount of time spent in the ED.  Average visit times by state ranged from 2 ¾ hours to nearly 6 ½ hours.  

Compared to the national average, Rhode Islanders did not fare very well.  According to the report, the average total time spent by a patient in a Rhode Island emergency department in 2007 was 4 hours, 44 minutes, which ranks Rhode Island 45th in terms of total time.  However, at Westerly Hospital, the average total time spent in the ED was significantly lower than both the Rhode Island and national averages.  Based on statistics provided by the Hospital, in 2007, that average total time was 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Patient satisfaction associated with this shorter time was also high.  For 2007, the average score for overall satisfaction among patients visiting the Westerly Hospital ED was 90.0.  When compared to the Press Ganey data, this rate places a visit to the Westerly Hospital ED among the top 2.2% of hospitals nationwide for patient satisfaction.

“I am pleased that Westerly Hospital compares so favorably to the national and Rhode Island data,” said President/CEO Charles S. Kinney.  “A visit to any hospital emergency department can obviously be a very stressful experience.  Our comparative position demonstrates our ongoing commitment to quality and service.  Kudos to all the hard working staff of the Westerly Hospital emergency department who are responsible for these ratings.”
 
The Westerly Hospital is a 125-bed hospital that provides Washington (RI) and New London (CT) County residents a wide array of medical, surgical, laboratory and rehabilitative services using state-of-the-art technology in an intimate, community hospital setting.  With 120 primary and specialty physicians dedicated to the patients they serve, the hospital has earned one of the highest patient satisfaction rankings in the country.  From birth, through emergencies and advanced procedures, the hospital serves the entire community with family-centered medical care that’s leading edge, yet respectful, compassionate, committed and accountable to our patients.