HCA North Texas Hospitals Launch ‘Moving at the Speed of Life’ Campaign

Campaign promotes efficient, quality care in the ER

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Eight HCA hospitals and one freestanding emergency center in North Texas are participating in the new “Moving at the Speed of Life” ER Wait Time Campaign, which consists of a handful of digital tools used to reach ER patients in a quick, efficient manner. The idea behind the campaign is that North Texas residents with non-life threatening conditions will be able to see how long the average wait is at their local Emergency Room and decide which hospital they should drive towards.

Nationwide in 2008, ER visits hit an all-time high with more than 123 million, so HCA North Texas Division is using modern technology to deliver average ER wait times, while also lessening the burden on its ER physicians and patients. All nine hospitals’ average ER wait times can now be accessed on a real-time basis through the new www.fastERtx.com Web site and will also be available via an iPhone app, a text messaging service, and on electronic billboards by the end of this year. In addition, ER wait time averages are currently being posted on billboards throughout the Metroplex.

“According to research conducted by HCA, in times of an emergency, most people by nature go to the nearest hospital. However, this can be a gamble. Many times, going to the closest hospital doesn’t always mean receiving medical attention the quickest,” said James C. Scoggin Jr., HCA North Texas Division president. “Our goal for this campaign is to make sure our North Texas ER patients are taken care of as soon as possible. It’s our mission to get them assessed, on the road to treatment and back to life quicker.”

Hospitals participating in the “Moving at the Speed of Life” campaign include:

  • Medical Center of Arlington -- Medical Center of Arlington is a 332-bed hospital serving Arlington and its surrounding communities for nearly 40 years. It is home to the first certified Chest Pain Center in Arlington and the first certified Primary Stroke Center in Tarrant County.
  • The Medical Center of Plano -- The Medical Center of Plano is a full-service, 427-bed, acute-care facility with more than 1,500 employees and over 1,000 physicians on staff, representing more than 70 specialties and subspecialties. Accredited by The Joint Commission, The Medical Center of Plano continued its legacy of firsts in 2007 by becoming the first hospital in Collin County to achieve elite Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Association.
  • Medical Center of Lewisville -- Medical Center of Lewisville is a full-service hospital offering Lewisville and surrounding areas with healthcare services including women and children’s services, endovascular, colorectal, oncology, radiology and orthopedics.
  • Flower Mound Emergency Center -- Flower Mound Emergency Center is equipped to handle any medical crisis, with a trauma/code room, two negative-pressure rooms, a complete medical laboratory, an on-site blood bank, and a wide array of sophisticated testing and imaging technologies. The Center also has 12 private rooms including rooms for pediatric patients and two rooms especially equipped for women’s health emergencies.
  • Medical City Dallas Hospital -- Medical City Dallas Hospital was established in 1974 by a group of North Texas' premiere medical specialists as a new kind of healthcare facility. The 660-bed tertiary care center is home to more than 1,150 physicians practicing more than 95 medical specialties. Patients have come from all over the United States and 75 foreign countries to receive healthcare that is recognized on local, national and international levels.
  • Medical City Children’s Hospital -- Medical City Children’s Hospital offers world-renowned excellence in comprehensive pediatric services. The hospital has specialists in virtually every pediatric subspecialty, including widely recognized treatment programs such as craniofacial, heart, hematology and oncology, nephrology, neurosciences, orthopedics and scoliosis. Services also include general pediatrics, general and outpatient intensive care and specialized pediatric emergency care.
  • Denton Regional Medical Center -- Denton Regional Medical Center is a 208-bed, full-service hospital that serves the growing population of Denton, Wise, Cooke and Montague counties. Offering the full spectrum of healthcare including advanced open-heart surgery, oncology and trauma services, Denton Regional Medical Center’s more than 850 employees and 285 physicians are constantly striving to offer the highest quality service to the North Texas area.
  • Medical Center of McKinney -- Medical Center of McKinney is a 259-bed, state-of-the-art hospital committed to providing the McKinney area with excellent, full service healthcare. Over the past several years, it has strengthened its medical foundations and enhanced its services by adding a number of all-inclusive specialty services previously unavailable in this growing community. These include a full-service 24/7 emergency department, outpatient services including ambulatory surgery, women’s imaging services, general imaging services, sleep lab and rehabilitation therapies, cardiovascular services, orthopedic services, neurosciences, labor and delivery suites, neonatal level II nursery and maternal fetal medicine.
  • Las Colinas Medical Center -- Las Colinas Medical Center is a 100-bed, full-service, acute-care facility offering a wide range of services including women’s health, surgical and cardiovascular services. In addition to its exceptional care and facilities, Las Colinas Medical Center is fortunate to partner with more than 400 highly trained physicians who practice at the center. Many of these physicians are located in one of the three medical office buildings on the Las Colinas Medical Center campus.

About HCA North Texas:

The North Texas Division of HCA Hospitals is committed to the care and improvement of human life by providing high quality, cost-effective healthcare for the communities it serves. Among the Division's hospitals are: Denton Regional Medical Center; Green Oaks Psychiatric Hospital; Las Colinas Medical Center; Medical Center of Arlington; Medical Center of Lewisville; Medical Center of McKinney; The Medical Center of Plano; Medical City Children's Hospital; Medical City Dallas Hospital; North Hills Hospital and Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth. Also included within the North Texas Division are a number of convenient ambulatory care and imaging centers, including the Flower Mound Emergency Center. For more information on HCA North Texas, visit www.hcanorthtexas.com.



CONTACT:

for HCA North Texas
Claire Bloxom, 817-336-6824
[email protected]
or
Rene Smith, 817-336-6824
[email protected]
Online Press Kit Link -- http://fastertx.com/presskit/

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Texas

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Technology  Internet  Software  Health  Hospitals  Mobile/Wireless  Other Health  General Health

MEDIA:

Logo
 Logo