If you or someone you love is faced with a medical emergency, you want the best medical care possible, fast. In 2012, people turned to Albany Memorial Hospital more than 48,000 times for just that – expert emergency care.
At Albany Memorial Hospital, our board-certified emergency room doctors and emergency-trained nurses are personally committed to providing you with the best possible care. And that commitment is reflected in our consistently high patient satisfaction scores. In fact, 2012 marked the sixth consecutive year that Albany Memorial Hospital achieved a Press Ganey patient satisfaction survey rank above the 90th percentile when compared nationally with other similar size hospitals. This continued success is a result of our team effort focused on developing a culture of compassionate, patient-centered care. We continually look for ways to improve and enhance the care and experience of patients and family members who turn to us for care.
One initiative that has greatly enhanced patient satisfaction is our Physician Triage program. A dedicated emergency physician is assigned to a special triage area of our emergency department during peak hours when patients in the waiting room typically outnumber treatment rooms. The triage physician is able to quickly triage or identify critical and non-critical patients when they first arrive.
The physician is able to make initial assessments of the patient’s condition, and order bloodwork or any other tests needed on the patient early on during the visit. Patients can then be returned to the waiting areas until their results or a treatment room is available. This effectively turns “down” time into active time. The program has greatly decreased the average time patients must wait to be seen.
Patient feedback regarding the Physician Triage program has been tremendously positive. In addition to decreased “wait” times, this program also results in more rapid treatment and care. By ordering tests early on in the process, tests results are often available by the time a room has opened up for the patient and treatment can begin.
In 2009, Albany Memorial Hospital completed a major emergency department renovation project to better serve the increased number of patients coming to us for care. We increased our space from 11,000 to 29,000 square feet and increased the number of exam rooms from 19 to 31. Other enhancements included the centralization of the nurses’ station allowing for better visibility of exam rooms; enhanced security; three isolation rooms and a decontamination room; and enhancements to the ambulance entrance.
We are proud of the fact that our patients rate our care so highly and continue to look for new and innovative ways to enhance our service to both our patients and their family members.
Albany Memorial Hospital is conveniently located just off Exit 6 on I-90 at 600 Northern Boulevard in Albany.