Prompt Care Unit Opens at St. Luke's

In an effort to ease long wait times in the state’s busiest community hospital Emergency Department, St. Luke’s recently opened a Prompt Care center to treat visitors with simple injuries and health issues.

The Emergency Department at St. Luke’s has three areas: “ER One” for urgent care (critical or seriously ill individuals who need immediate attention), “ER Two” for emergent care (those who are ill but can wait a short time for medical attention) and “ER Three” for nonemergent cases, including minor cuts and bruises, flu and suture removal.

“With the high volume of people we see here, we get overflow from one area to another,” said Phyllis Figueiredo, RN, Nurse Manager of the ED. “That causes long wait times for those with nonurgent needs.”

Figueiredo estimates that 40 percent of the patient volume that has traditionally gone to ER Three will now go to Prompt Care.

“We will identify those cases as soon as they check in at the ED desk,” Figueiredo said. “They will be immediately shown to Prompt Care where the goal is to have a turnaround time of 30 to 45 minutes for each case.”

Upon entering Prompt Care, individuals will be immediately shown to a patient room where an admissions representative with a portable laptop computer will collect necessary information.

Prompt Care is conveniently located adjacent to St. Luke’s ED to provide easy flow of traffic from one area to the other. The department is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

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