Emergency Medicine

If someone is having a life-threatening emergency, don’t try to drive them to the emergency room yourself. Call 911 or your nearest ambulance service right away. 

You might think you can get to the Emergency Department faster on your own. But calling 911 gets you help sooner in ways you might not see:

• The symptoms you report to 911 help us prepare specialists and equipment so we are ready to care for you.
• For some conditions, an ambulance can bypass the Emergency Department and take you straight to the nearest certified heart, stroke or trauma center.
• Emergency Medical Technicians can start life-saving treatments and pain relief as soon as they reach you.
• They also talk to the Emergency Department while you are on the way so we can treat you faster when you arrive.

When you come to the Emergency Department, you will go through registration and triage. This helps us identify your needs so we can plan and prioritize your care.

• While you wait, our experts are busy behind the scenes. We review your chart to identify what tests or treatments you need and what kind of room, equipment and people can best deliver that care. We also gauge how severe your illness is compared to others.
• We follow standard triage protocols and see patients in order of severity. Every emergency is important to us, but we must address the most life-threatening cases first. Your estimated wait time may change if more severe patients arrive after you.
• Some labs, imaging and comfort measures can begin without waiting for a room or a provider. We may start those services and then return you to the waiting room so you can wait more comfortably for your results.
• Getting your test results before you see a provider means they can diagnose and treat you faster. In a best case scenario, these early steps can shave off so much time that you may only need a few minutes with the provider, and then you’re on your way!
• We typically care for several patients at a time. While this may mean we’re not always in your room or at your side, it shortens wait times and total visit times. Even when you don't see us, we are tracking your progress in your chart and will move to the next step as soon as possible.
• If your condition changes or you need something while you wait, please use your call button or speak to the receptionist.

Our Emergency Departments have a variety of rooms and equipment to meet your unique needs.

• In some cases you may be safer or more comfortable lying down. We use a special type of bed on wheels called a cart.
• Not all care requires a cart. Many patients find it easier to get in and out of a chair. Sitting up may make it easier to communicate. Chairs also take less time to clean between patients, so we can see you sooner.
• We have rooms for trauma, decontamination, lab draws, imaging, behavioral health, nurse visits and many other special situations.

• The nationwide median length of stay for emergency rooms is about 240 minutes (4 hours) from arrival to discharge.
• Thanks to innovative facility design, rapid assessment and fast tracking methods, many of MyMichigan's Emergency Departments are much faster than the national median (as low as 109 minutes.)
• By definition, some visits take longer than the median. This is especially true if there is a sudden surge in patients, more severe patients arrive by ambulance, you need certain tests or overnight observation, or you are waiting for a hospital room or specialized facility for follow-up care.
• If a few hours seems like a long time, it may help to keep in mind that you are condensing several days or even weeks of care into a single visit! In a non-emergency situation, you might need several appointments on different days to get all those same tests and treatments as an outpatient.
• Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make you more comfortable while you wait.

• Emergency Departments specialize in life-saving care rather than routine or chronic care. Our goal is to make you safe and comfortable and help you get back home and back to your normal activities as soon as possible.
• Due to our special focus on emergencies, you won’t always have a final diagnosis or treatment plan by the time you leave the Emergency Department. This is normal, but we will guide you to your next steps to get the answers and relief that you are seeking.
• More than 90 percent of the time, patients can go home once their emergency is over and their condition is stable.
• Once your condition is no longer an emergency, we may refer your back to your primary care provider or to other medical specialists for follow-up. We will let you know if you need to schedule a follow up visit within a certain time, or if you can simply see your doctor on your regular schedule.
• We may need to admit you to a hospital or special facility for further testing, observation, surgery or other specialized care. Your care team will clearly explain your options and help you make the best choices for you.
• Our Emergency Departments do not prescribe, renew or refill routine medications. We are especially careful about narcotics since they can be harmful or addictive if you use them for more than short-term relief. In some cases, we may send you home with a prescription or a few-day supply of medications. You will need to follow up with an outpatient provider for your longer-term needs.

MyMichigan's Emergency Departments are built for safety, quality, comfort and speed. Here are just a few of the carefully designed elements that help us give you faster, better, safer care:

• Ambulance and helicopter access at all our facilities
• Safe, well-lit and up-close parking
• Telemedicine equipment and 24/7 telestroke collaboration with Michigan Medicine for rapid stroke assessment and intervention
• Airflow and infection control protocols to prevent cross-contamination
• Waiting rooms with multiple seating areas for social distancing
• Secure, private registration and triage areas
• Nurse/provider stations built for close monitoring of your needs and excellent communication and collaboration among your care team members
• On-site lab and imaging for faster results
• Specialized rooms for trauma, procedures, behavioral health and more
• A variety of “upright care” (chair) and “horizontal care” (bed/cart) options to most comfortably offer the care you need
• Rapid assessment and fast tracking for lower acuity patients
• MyChart to let you see your test results and treatment plans in real time

When you are sick or scared and every minute counts, you want the most caring experts:

• Our doctors are board-certified in emergency medicine.
• Our nurses and other staff are specially trained, credentialed and experienced in emergency care.
• We continuously train and update our knowledge and skills to match the latest protocols.
• We are also trained in customer service and communication to give you a positive experience even in our busiest moments.
• If you have any questions about your care or there is anything we can do to make you more comfortable while you wait, please ask any member of your care team.

• We survey our patients to understand your needs and improve your care and experience.
• We continuously track and improve our throughput and our safety and quality measures.
• We transparently share our patient ratings and reviews and our safety and quality metrics so you can make informed choices.
• Several of our Emergency Departments have wait times and average lengths of stay that are less than half the national median.