Text Messages Tell ER Wait Times

West Hills Hospital & Medical Center is launching a service that allows patients to text the hospital to find out average emergency room wait times. To use the service, patients have to text “ER” to 23000 and reply with their zip codes to receive a message telling them how long they will have to wait to be seen. Those texting “healthy” to the same number can receive occasional health information and updates on upcoming hospital events. “We’re sharing this information with the public because we’re proud of our low wait times,” said Dr. Lee Weiss, the hospital’s emergency department medical director. “Most patients are seen by a provider well within 30 minutes of arrival.” The text message program works using a technology that links the computer system in the emergency room with the texting ability of cell phones. The wait time is based on how long recent patients have waited to be seen by a medical professional. The new program comes just two months after the opening of the hospital’s new emergency department.