Emergency Department

Welcome and thank you for choosing St. Joseph Medical Center’s Emergency Department (ED). Your well being, both physically and spiritually, is our number one priority and we work hard to ensure your stay with us is as comfortable as possible.

Registration and Triage
Upon your arrival, you will be asked for basic information to register. The triage nurse will get a complete history of your illness or injury. In the ED, the process of deciding who is seen first is called “triage.”  The triage nurse sorts patients according to the urgency of their needs, not necessarily the order in which they sign in.

Patient Advocate Volunteers in the ER (PAVER) or the receptionist will be happy to assist you if you need help while you wait to see a doctor.

Types of Care in the ED
The ED provides three separate services:   
- Emergent Care
- Urgent Care
- Follow-up

Patients with more severe illnesses or injuries are taken to Emergent Care while patients with less severe problems are taken to Urgent Care. Some patients are here for follow-up care, such as suture removal. Because these routine follow-up visits are brief, these patients are usually seen immediately, and do not add to your waiting time for emergency treatment.

Treatment
A board certified emergency physician will examine you. If necessary diagnostic tests will be ordered. Depending on the type of tests ordered, results may take anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours.

Why am I waiting so long?
No one likes to wait, especially when sick. Your wait may be longer if a lot of patients have signed in or arrive needing intensive treatment. The nurses, physicians and healthcare team work as quickly and efficiently as possible. We are committed to providing complete treatment for each patient as well as keeping those who are waiting as comfortable and informed as possible.

How will I be billed for the services I receive?
Physician, radiology services and hospital services are each billed separately, in accordance with Maryland law. Physician services are provided by Osler Drive Emergency Physicians Association, (ODEPA), and radiology services are provided by Advanced Radiology, Inc.

Visitors
Your family and friends are important because they provide support for you and information that can assist in your diagnosis and treatment. However, because of the nature of emergency treatment, we must limit the number of visitors to two. We suggest that one family member communicate with other family and friends in the waiting area.

Food and Drink
Vending machines are available in the waiting area but if you are a patient, please do not eat or drink anything unless you have checked with the triage nurse.

Questions & Concerns
Our mission is to diagnose and treat patients quickly and accurately with loving service and compassionate care. Your satisfaction with our service is very important to us. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know immediately.