6-hour wait at the emergency room prompts question, concern
Mar. 15—Dear Mr. Inside Scoop: Since we see, hear, and read about the No. 1 status of Mayo Clinic all the time, why do they not do anything about their emergency department status? We've never seen so many negative local reviews on one place, and I see why. We sat in the lobby for six hours one evening-to-night last week, as did many others. It never used to be anything like this. We worked there. What's the issue? — Lobby Lothario.
Dear Lobby,
First, I hope for whatever reason you found yourself in the ED (emergency department) recently, all is now well with you or whomever you were there to support.
Perhaps this illness led to you missing the
great story by Post Bulletin reporter Dené K. Dryden,
where she tackled this very issue on Aug. 13, 2023.
As Dené noted in her article, half the 80,000-or-so patients get seen within 33 minutes. But, depending on a myriad of factors, some wait times can be longer. (For the record, at Olmsted Medical Center's ED, the wait time is 17 minutes, but we'll keep the focus on Mayo Clinic because that's the ED you've asked about.)
One of the main factors is whether there is a bed available. Mayo's ED has 72 beds. OMC's has 12, but much less traffic.
That traffic in patients can be impacted by what level of care is available. For example, Mayo's ED is one of the handful of level 1 trauma centers in Minnesota, and the only one south of the Twin Cities. OMC, meanwhile, is a level 4 trauma center.
"Mayo Clinic's Emergency Department on the Saint Marys Campus is the only Level I trauma center and comprehensive stroke center in southeast Minnesota," said Dr. Brendan Carr, clinical practice chair for Mayo Clinic's Department of Emergency Medicine in Rochester. "Similar to other emergency departments across the U.S., we continue to see an increase in patients seeking emergency care. In addition to providing other care options for non-emergency needs, Mayo Clinic is always working to identify innovative solutions to improve the experience for our patients and staff. For example, our nurses are empowered, based on their experience and judgment, to initiate some testing and limited treatment for patients while they are waiting."
Trauma levels can range from someone who arrives with no pulse (level 1) to a kid with a rash (level 5). To quote directly from Dené's article, "More high-priority patients at a given time means more hospital resources will be devoted to those cases, which could extend wait times for patients with less emergent ailments."
Mayo's status also means that patients who cannot be treated at other area hospitals are transferred via ambulance or helicopter to Mayo for further treatment, so there's a pathway into those 72 rooms that doesn't include going through the waiting room door where you likely entered.
Another factor that can slow wait times at the ED at Saint Marys is the fact that people who should perhaps go to an Express Care clinic for whatever ails them pull the rip cord and go straight to the ED instead, clogging up the system with patients who could be treated more quickly (and at a lower cost) than at the ED.
Mayo also operates a nurse hotline where people can call and get advice — often with the help of ED personnel — on whether their condition requires immediate emergency care or not.
Lobby, I hope your next visit to the ED at Saint Marys (should you ever need one) is quick and painless. That said, patience among patients is a virtue.
Don't wait. Send questions to Answer Man at
.
