Emergency room services at Doctors Hospital of Manteca are being streamlined with the convenience of its patients,  thanks to online technology

The hospital is offering a solution to the long waits in the emergency room often with sicker individuals sitting next to healthier patients with a program the hospital has tagged, “InQuickER.”

The patients will be allowed to hold a place at the ER by going online, while waiting in the comfort of their own homes.   From a personal computer people are being given the option to complete an online form detailing their concerns and allowed to arrive at the hospital at a projected treatment time and be seen by a medical professional within 15 minutes.

“We know people want more convenience and communication in the ER experience,” explained Eric McMurtrey, spokesman for Doctors Hospital of Manteca.  “While estimates and averages about emergency room wait times may vary, many emergency room patients end up waiting several hours in waiting rooms with no indication of when they’ll be seen.  With this service, users enjoy the convenience of choosing where they will wait and be given a projected time to see a healthcare professional in the emergency room.”

Hani Ayyad, emergency room services director at DHM, said that lowering the time spent in an ER may reduce exposure to some infections spreading from person to person in the waiting room.

InQuickER does not affect the wait times of other emergency room patients, nor does it allow certain individuals to cut in front of others, the hospital spokesman said.  Additionally if the projected treatment time changes due to an influx of patients requiring priority treatment, the user will be notified and given an alternate time.

Increased demands and decreased capacities are creating traffic jams in emergency waiting rooms across the country, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians. The long waits to see a professional are common adding stress and anguish to an experience that invokes anxiety, according to the ACOEP.

InQuickER has designed safeguards in its system intended to prevent those who have potentially life-threatening medical conditions from using the streamlined service. Individuals requiring immediate medical treatment are urged to go immediately to the nearest emergency department or call 911.