Cleveland Area Hospital: What to Expect in Our ER.

What to Expect in Our Emergency Room

What to Bring to the Emergency Room
Please bring a list of all current medications including "over the counter" drugs, herbal remedies, and supplements. Make a note of when your last doses were taken. Also, be prepared to list your known allergies and the name of your primary physician. In addition, please bring your photo ID and insurance card.

Arrival and Triage - Prioritizing Patient Care

Registration
The Admissions representative will ask you to provide basic information about yourself: name, address, phone number, social security number, health insurance information, and reason for coming to the emergency room. It is important for all of this information to be accurate.

Patient Screenings for Prioritization of Care
After you have given information about yourself to our Admissions staff, you will be given a medical screening exam to determine the appropriate level of care for your condition. If another patient is called into the ER ahead of you, it is because he or she has been determined to have a condition that requires priority care. If the results of your medical screening show you are not experiencing a true health emergency, you will be counseled on your options. Your options may include: visiting a family practice clinic, calling your own family doctor for an appointment, or choosing to stay at the hospital to receive care in the ER. If you choose to stay at the hospital and receive care in the ER when you do not have an emergency condition, you may need to pay your insurance co-pay or the full ER fee up front before you can be seen. The hospital will provide financial counseling for you, in order to help you make an informed decision.

Please Pay Careful Attention
If you are waiting to see the emergency room physican, please refrain from eating or drinking until the physician has given clearance. Oral intake of fluids or food may impede test results.

Family Members & Visitors
Upon arrival to the Admissions area, please ask the representative whether you may bring family members or friends into the ER exam room with you.

Diagnosis and Treatment
The emergency room physician will review your medical history and perform an exam or evaluation. The physician may order tests, make a diagnosis, begin treatment, or consult with you and your primary doctor. Once the appropriate emergency treatment has been rendered and you have been stabilized, the physician may either admit you to the hospital or send you home with instructions for follow-up.

Patient Discharge
When you are discharged from the emergency room, the physician or a nurse will give you prescriptions the doctor may have ordered and will review with you a set of written "discharge instructions." The physician and/or nurses will answer your questions and describe any recommended care. It is very important that you understand and follow these instructions. If you do not understand them, please let the doctor or nurse know. If you get home and have questions, please call (918) 358-2501 and ask for the nurses' station.

If You Are Admitted to the Hospital
If you need specialized care and are admitted to the hospital, our goal is to move you to a hospital room as quickly as possible so that you are more comfortable and additional treatments and testing can begin.