By Gene Zaleski
The Times and Democrat
ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. 鈥� MUSC Health-Orangeburg officials say they鈥檙e continuing their efforts to improve the experience of patients. Two Orangeburg County Council members are asking the hospital to look at emergency room wait times.
Councilwoman Deloris Frazier and Councilman Joseph Garvin said they have heard complaints from constituents about emergency room wait times.
鈥淵ou really need work on that,鈥� Frazier said at a council meeting last month. 鈥淲e are still having problems with people saying they went to the hospital at 2:15 p.m. and didn鈥檛 get out until 1 or 2 a.m. the next morning. Some people have said to me they have waited at the hospital over eight and ten hours to be seen.鈥�
鈥淟et鈥檚 try and find some way that we can get people in, let them be seen and let them go on to their business or admit them,鈥� Frazier continued.
The Medical University of South Carolina acquired the former Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties almost two years ago.
Frazier said she recently went to the Orangeburg hospital for outpatient surgery and had a great experience.
She was out in about 30 minutes. Her main concern was with the emergency room times.
Garvin echoed Frazier鈥檚 comments, expressing concerns about long emergency room wait times of seven and eight hours.
鈥淭his is the biggest complaint we have,鈥� Garvin said. 鈥淭his is something that has to be taken care of.鈥�
MUSC Health -Orangeburg Chief Executive Officer Walter Bennett III said the emergency department is a 鈥渒ey focus of ours because it is a front door of our facility.鈥�
鈥淔or MUSC as a whole, all of our EDs are the front door of our facilities,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is actually considered a major opportunity for improvement for all of our facilities because we know we can do better when it comes to wait times and also ensuring they can get adequate care and timely care when they go through our ER.鈥�
Bennett said winter months are difficult because a lot of people use the emergency room when they should go to urgent care or primary care, but the hospital is seeking ways to reduce the wait time.
Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Christina Walker said she has visited MUSC鈥檚 other hospitals to see what they have implemented that works.
Walker said one of the ways the hospital will be seeking to reduce wait times is to introduce telehealth in the emergency room.
鈥淚f our providers in the back are busy taking care of somebody that came in on an ambulance and we have people in the waiting area, we are actually going to have a tele-doc who is going to be able to bring those patients back and do a virtual screening and start the process of ordering the medications to kind of help to speed up that process,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淲e are at capacity. It does kind of have a little back up in our emergency room.鈥�
Walker also said the hospital will ensure nurses are in the emergency room lobby to keep patients up-to-date on their waiting process.
鈥淚t is one thing if you are having to wait and you know why you are waiting. It is more frustrating if you don鈥檛,鈥� Walker said.
Prior to answering questions from council, Bennett gave a presentation noting 鈥減atient experience鈥� has been a focus at the hospital.
鈥淚 always tell each and every one of our care members at MUSC Health-Orangeburg that we are always going to make the first impression the best impression,鈥� Bennett said.
During the presentation, Bennett also said the hospital is trying to enhance its image, noting that the joke is that the former TRMC stood for 鈥淭urn Right and Make it to Columbia or Charleston.鈥�
鈥淭hat is no longer the case. We have great care here in Orangeburg,鈥� Bennett said. 鈥淲hen it comes to leakage, we are definitely keeping our patients in the area because the MUSC brand is a great brand.鈥�
Following the questions and response, Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright said, 鈥淚 know you can鈥檛 snap your fingers and everything happens, but if you can improve it, that is a big deal right there.
鈥淚 have confidence that you all will do that.鈥�
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