Online Check-in now an option at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center Emergency Room
11/1/2016
Patients seeking emergency or urgent care for non-life threatening conditions have a convenient new option to consider: wait at home instead of the waiting room.
Lake Norman Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Room now offering Online Check-in—a service intended to enhance patients’ overall experience by giving them more control of the process.
“Online Check-in is for individuals whose injuries and illnesses are not life-threatening or debilitating,” explains Dr. Adam Crilly, Emergency Department Medical Director. “We never know when the Emergency Room is going to have multiple, critical emergencies arriving at once, or when an urgent care center will experience a spike in volume that results in a longer-than-usual wait time. Online Check-in helps individuals know what to expect from the outset, and offers them the flexibility of waiting at home until closer to their projected treatment time, if needed.”
Launched October 13, Online Check-in is accessed through the hospital’s website, LNRMC.com. Individuals then select the type of care they are seeking to receive a projected treatment time.
“This service can be extremely helpful for a parent with a small child, or for someone who is bringing in an elderly relative who is concerned about exposure to germs and viruses in the waiting room,” says Crilly. “We expect this service to be especially popular during flu season or when there is a high incidence of contagious viruses.”
Here’s how Online Check-in works:
- Visit the Lake Norman Regional Medical Center website and click on ‘Heading to the ER?’ Online Check-in.
- Choose a projected treatment time based on current wait time, and complete a brief online form.
- Staff will review your information, and let you know if you should come in sooner than planned.
- When you arrive at the ED, staff will be expecting you, and strive to see you within 15 minutes of your projected treatment time.
- If there is a spike in patient traffic, staff will notify you via email or automated phone call with a new projected treatment time.
Individuals who use Online Check-in aren’t seen ahead of patients already in the waiting room; rather, their names are added to the treatment list based on the time they checked-in online. Unless an individual’s illness or injury requires expedited care, patients are treated in the order they registered.
Online Check-in does not allow patients whose symptoms indicate a life-threatening or debilitating medical condition to use the service; key words such as “chest pain” trigger a directive to call 911 or to go to the nearest emergency department immediately.
“We know everyone’s time is limited and valuable, which is why Online Check-in is such a valuable tool,” adds Crilly. “Mobile devices allow individuals to check-in online from anywhere…the soccer field, the daycare center, work or home—making the service easy and convenient to use.”
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