Girard Medical Center's ER has LOW average arrival to depart time!
Launch the media gallery 1 playerHave you ever visited an emergency room and were kept waiting for hours? Most likely your answer to that question is a disheartening “yes,” since the average national ER wait time is 4-plus hours!
Did you know Girard Medical Center’s emergency arrival time to departure time is significantly less than the national average waiting room time? According to The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the average emergency arrival time to departure time for Girard Medical Center (GMC) is approximately 2 hours 45 minutes—considerably less than the national average of almost 5 hours!
Since receiving the right kind of care in the first hour can be critical to survival, Girard Medical Center health care providers, board of trustees and administration made becoming a Level IV trauma center a priority. This was achieved and verified by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment June 1, 2012.
To earn this recognition, the trauma team at Girard Medical Center actively advocated for trauma system development, enhanced emergency services to include trauma care, and worked to deliver services quickly and efficiently. As a result, the KDHE certified that Girard Medical Center meets all standards of care related to trauma treatment in Kansas.
GMC is the third facility in the state and the first in southeast Kansas to receive the Level IV designation. Dr. Adam Paoni, director of Emergency Services, commented, “We are pleased to be the first Level IV trauma center in our region and to be part of the comprehensive trauma delivery system in the state of Kansas. I am personally proud of Girard Medical Center’s commitment to delivering quality, performance-driven care to injured patients.”
As a Level IV trauma center, GMC is certified in providing the important first steps of care, including initial evaluation, stabilization, diagnostics and possible transfer to a facility of higher care. Girard Medical Center has been thoroughly reviewed and is up to state standards with the necessary personnel and equipment to care for critically injured patients 24 hours a day.
Designated trauma centers must meet essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance as outlined by the American College of Surgeons and endorsed by the Kansas Advisory Committee on Trauma.
“Trauma center designation is one component of a comprehensive statewide trauma system designed to get patients with life-threatening injuries to a hospital with the necessary resources,” said Robert Moser, M.D., KDHE secretary and state health officer. “We congratulate Girard Medical Center for serving as a vital resource when every second matters.”