Atlantic General Hospital continues to find ways to ER reduce wait times as hospital bed availability remains a problem across the state
MARYLAND. -According to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Maryland ranks as one of the worst states in America with hospital bed availability.
The data indicates that the average ER wait time in the state is more than four hours. Some wait as long as 24 hours before receiving care.
Due to this, some states like California have mandated nurse-to-patient ratios to significantly reduce wait times.
Atlantic General Hospital continues to look for ways to remain efficient. AGH Director of Emergency Services Andi West-McCabe tells WMDT, the hospital has many solutions to combat the issue.
“We’re very creative in the areas and spaces we see our patients, so once a patient is worked up, if we need a room, we can move a patient in a hall bed if we have to, to bring another patient into a room, so we’re very creative with space. We work very hard organizationally to make sure we can get our patients to that next level of care.”
Maryland has had the worst emergency room wait time among all 50 states for the last eight years. West-McCabe tells WMDT that the state has a council that consistently works on ending the problem.
