As an elected member of the Sequoia Healthcare District Board of Directors, which created Sequoia Hospital, I applaud the initiative of the hospitals new owners, Dignity Health, and CEO Glenna Vaskelis (also Sr. Vice President, Operations, Dignity Health Bay Area Service Area) for introducing InQuicker™, an online service that enables emergency patients to select a projected treatment time and wait at home before going to the emergency room.
Bravo!
Here is their press release:
DIGNITY HEALTH BAY AREA HOSPITALS LAUNCH INQUICKER™
Online service allows emergency department patients to wait at home for a projected treatment time
Redwood City (December 19, 2013) – InQuicker™, an online service that enables emergency patients to select a projected treatment time and wait at home before going to the emergency room, is now available at Dignity Health hospitals throughout the Bay Area—St. Mary’s Medical Center and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, and Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz.
Find out what's happening in Redwood City-Woodsidewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
InQuicker is intended for use by individuals who need emergency care but do not have life-threatening medical issues. It is particularly useful for out-of-town visitors who may not have a medical care option other than the emergency room or caregivers of children or the elderly for whom waiting at home is simply more comfortable. InQuicker is also helpful for seeking medical treatment when doctors’ offices are closed.
Patient Kathy Colfer decided to use InQuicker when she had an ankle injury so she could stay at home with ice on her ankle, rather than wait in the emergency room.
Find out what's happening in Redwood City-Woodsidewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“As it turns out, it was a busy day in the ER but I was seen at triage right away and taken back for x-rays from there,” she said. “I love InQuicker!”
“At Dignity Health, quality, accessible emergency care and patient satisfaction are top priorities,” said Glenna Vaskelis, Sr. Vice President, Operations, Dignity Health Bay Area Service Area. “InQuicker provides our community with a convenient process, timely communications about wait times, and the option to wait in a more comfortable environment.”
InQuicker is not an appointment or reservation service, as emergency room triage processes do not allow for the scheduling of treatment. Priority treatment is always given to those with the most urgent medical conditions. In the event of delays to projected treatment times for patients who have selected a treatment time with InQuicker, those patients will receive real-time notifications via email or phone with updated projected times so they can continue waiting from home.
The InQuicker website provides information to patients to help them determine whether they can use InQuicker and instructs those with more urgent medical emergencies to call 9-1-1 or proceed immediately to an emergency room.
Patients can access InQuicker through the hospitals’ websites (emergencycaresf.org, sequoiahospital.org, and dominicanhospital.org) to select a projected treatment time.
About Dignity Health Bay Area Hospitals
Dignity Health includes four accredited, not-for-profit hospitals in the Bay Area—Saint Francis Memorial Hospital and St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco, Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, and Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. All four hospitals are Certified Stroke Centers, offer emergency services, and have received national recognition for superior safety and quality from Healthgrades, a leading provider of comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.
Saint Francis Memorial Hospital is home to the Bothin Burn Center, the largest dedicated burn unit in Northern California. Saint Francis also features the Center for Sports Medicine, the Spine Institute of San Francisco, the Total Joint Center, and specializes in emergency medicine. www.saintfrancismemorial.org
St. Mary’s Medical Center opened the nation’s first digital cardiac catheterization laboratory and continues to pioneer in multidisciplinary spine care. St. Mary’s also houses a Total Joint Center, a Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is recognized for outstanding treatment of stroke. www.stmarysmedicalcenter.org
Sequoia Hospital will celebrate the opening of a rebuilt, state-of-the-art medical campus in 2014, including modernized emergency services and an all-new Pavilion with three floors of larger, private patient rooms. The hospital received the 2013 America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award from Healthgrades. www.sequoiahospital.org
Dominican Hospital is a certified Chest Pain Center and offers the only comprehensive Cancer Center in Santa Cruz County. Dominican’s services include a Total Joint Replacement program, and the hospital is a leading provider of neurological services. www.dominicanhospital.org
