News & Events :: Media Mentions

MGH officials praise changes in emergency care

By Jane Futcher
Marin Independent Journal, January 9, 2002

Marin General Hospital's Emergency Department is seeing more patients more quickly than it has in the past and has more than doubled its patient satisfaction scores over last year, hospital officials told the Marin Healthcare District board of directors last night.

The hospital's "Quick Care" system, initiated last year, allows patients with relatively minor problems to be treated and released within about 75 minutes, according to Dr. Mather Neill, medical director of the Emergency Department.

"Quick Care frees up beds and resources for patients who are going to be there longer," Neill said. Minutes before the healthcare district meeting began, Christine LaHorgue of Larkspur had a chance to test the new Emergency Department Quick Care program with her 7-year-old daughter Kate, who twisted her ankle. "We walked into the ER and were seen by the nurse immediately," LaHorgue said. "It was terrific."

Marin General has made many changes in its Emergency Department since last February, when one of its longtime emergency room physicians, Dr. Larry Bedard, blasted the hospital for some of its ER practices and was critical of the long waits to which emergency room patients were subjected.

To increase the speed of admissions from the ER into the hospital, Marin General has also created "Operation on the Move," in which staff assesses ER delays and can call upon technicians and medical staff throughout the hospital to speed treatment and admission.

Marin General has also extended the hours of double physician coverage in the emergency room each day, added a third physician on weekends and hired an on-call physician who is available when volume is high.

Patient visits have increased steadily in the past five years with the hospital estimating there were approximately 35,000 patient visits to the ER in 2001.

"We are seeing more patients, absolutely," said Emergency Department physician Dr. Jim Dietz. "I hear people comment that they have noticed a change."

The healthcare district board which pressed the hospital to improve its emergency department, congratulated the emergency department room staff for the improvements.