Want to know how long you’ll wait in the emergency room? There’s now an app for that, too.
The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain Monday announced a free iPhone application that posts waiting times for emergency rooms at its New Britain and Southington campuses.
Wait times — updated every five minutes — are also available on the hospital’s Web site, www.thocc.org.
The app also shows maps and directions to HCC’s New Britain General and Bradley Memorial campuses and emergency room phone numbers.
“This new mobile application will let incoming patients know that if one campus is busy that they can receive the same level of care at the other campus, which may not be as busy,” says registered nurse Robert G. Flade, who directs the hospital’s emergency department.
In November, the hospital debuted listing of emergency room wait times for both campuses on its Web site and on a flat screen in the New Britain General campus emergency room lobby. The electronic lobby display also includes a rotating series of short messages with important information for patients.
The hospital says its emergency room is among the state’s busiest, with more than 100,000 visits in fiscal 2009 for the New Britain General and Bradley Memorial campuses combined.
It also claims that despite the volume it has some of the nation’s shortest wait times, with 90 percent to 95 percent of patients seen by a physician or physician assistant within an hour.
The team that coordinated app development also included the hospital’s information system provider, EmpowER Systems; Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.; and iPathy Software.
