Medical Center Showcases New Emergency Wing

The new emergency wing at incorporates new technology to help serve more residents more efficiently.

On Monday, the hospital opened the new wing with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a tour for the mayor, hospital staff and administrators and others.

The 8,900-square-foot wing expands the hospital’s emergency department from nine to 16 beds.

There is a waiting room, private treatment rooms, a two-bed trauma room, orthopedic room, obstetrics and gynecology room and a dedicated X-ray room.

To handle potential disasters, the wing has a negative-pressure isolation room in which patients exposed to deadly contagious diseases or hazardous materials can be treated.

The room contains showers to wash off toxic materials as well as showers outside of the building to decontaminate emergency workers or paramedics who may have been exposed.

The wing was bankrolled by the owner of the hospital, Tenet Healthcare Corp., at a cost of $10.7 million.

To move patients with urgent care needs in and out of the hospital faster, the medical center will use a new fee-based online waiting service called InQuickER.

InQuickER will allow patients without a life-threatening emergency to go online and view the wait time at the ER and pay $9.99 to hold their place in line.

Emergency rooms across the country are plagued by overcrowding and long waits because often patients who need care but don't have life-threatening issues take up available rooms and medical staff, said hospital spokeswoman Sandra Ryan.

InQuickER is designed to let those without emergencies schedule an appointment online and wait at home until it’s not busy at the ER so they can be seen more promptly.

Patients who use the online service are guaranteed they'll be helped within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time or the fee will be refunded, said Ryan.

In addition to InQuickER, the hospital is launching a mobile hospital app for iPhones, iPads the iTouch and Android phones. The app will be available soon on BlackBerry smart phones.

The mobile app allows user’s access to InQuickER, provides hospital maps and directions, lists frequently called hospital numbers, and has a first-aid guide, a health information library and a physician finder.

The app also has a service called "My Data," on which people can list allergies, emergency contacts, medical history, and medications taken, as well as medical insurance information and physician contact information.

Download the app at www.OurSanRamonHospital.com or by searching “San Ramon Regional Medical Center” on your phone or mobile device’s app store.

For more information, visit www.sanramonmedctr.com.