Most people would agree that timeliness is an important factor in good
medical care. That is, the sooner a medical problem is correctly diagnosed,
the more likely it is that treatment can be effective.
The problem is that in many emergency rooms, patients have to wait long
periods before they ever see a doctor or nurse. In the Joplin area, several
hospitals have wait times above the national average.
Far too often, a delayed diagnosis is a contributing factor to
medical malpractice. Sometimes the delays are because an ER is understaffed, forcing doctors
to hurry evaluations, which in turn can lead to misdiagnoses and a worsening
of serious medical conditions.
A recent ProPublica report indicates that the national average for ER wait
times is 28 minutes. It also notes that Joplin’s Mercy Hospital’s
average ER wait is 36 minutes, more than 20 percent above the national
norm. Mercy McCune-Brooks Hospital in Carthage clocks in at 49 minutes,
while Oklahoma’s Integris Grove Hospital has an average ER wait
of one hour and 25 minutes.
It should be noted that Missouri’s statewide average is exactly the
same as the national average: 28 minutes.
The study lists factors that affect wait times, including population density
and the number of ER patients per day.
One factor that might contribute to a slowdown in ER care is that in some
places, a significant portion of ER patients come for dental care (toothaches,
oral sores, etc.). For instance, in 2012 nearly 140,000 people went to
Florida ERs for dental-related problems; nationally, more than two million
people annually seek dental care in emergency rooms.
Anyone who believes ER delays contributed to hospital or doctor negligence
should discuss the matter with an attorney experienced in medical malpractice cases.
Source: FierceHealthcare.com,
“ER wait times on rise nationwide,” Katie Sullivan, Feb. 27, 2014
