Why You Wait At The Emergency Department? ED Visit Part II The registration and triage process

You have just been registered for your ED visit. This means your entire financial history, including your SS#, birthday, credit card number, maybe even your favorite cereal has been recorded into the hospital data system. Why you ask?, because your friendly neighborhood hospital, wants you to "show them the money. " They want to be paid. In era of ever escalating non-reimbursed care, an ED survival can depend on securing this info to ensure payment. It is required before anything official can get done, including blood work, xrays, ct scans. Many ED's have "quick registration" teams that will descend upon you like a special forces ops squad for your information. If you want this process to be expedited pretend you are at security at the airport. Have your documents ready.

Now you are ready to meet the gatekeeper aka the triage nurse. Be nice to the triage nurse. Wait a second, let me emphasize this BE NICE TO THE TRIAGE NURSE!!! She or he controls all entry into the Kingdom of the ER. You do not want to get on this person's wrong side. Dont try using the Trojan horse aka an EMS ambulance to enter for a frivoulous complaint. Ambulances are for true emergencies like strokes and heart attacks, not for runny nose, your run of the mill sore throat or for a convenient taxi service. Triage nurses have usually been doing this job for thousands of years, you do not want feign an illness, they can sniff it out 300 miles away. Most triage is done by nurses, but many cutting edge ED's are now utilizing physicians and allied health professionals like nurse practitioners or physician assistants to decompress overcrowding. If you have an illness requiring immediate attention, you will be taken to a room, if not you will be booted to the waiting room. See the next blog for "Waiting Room Drama."

ERINSIDER