Time Is On Your Side at LaFollette Medical Center’s ER
10/21/2025
LaFollette Medical Center is launching a pledge to offer ER care with wait times of 30 minutes or less to initially be seen by a provider for evaluation and treatment. The 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service Pledge begins the minute a patient checks in at the ER desk.
“Emergency medicine is about three things: compassion, skilled care and speed,” says Mark Cain, CEO of Tennova Healthcare -LaFollette Medical Center. “We know the importance of prompt service – especially in the emergency room, and that’s why we’re making a pledge to begin care in 30 minutes or less. We want to assure patients we’re dedicated not only to offering quality care, but also to providing that care as efficiently and quickly as possible.”
The 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service Pledge is that a medical professional will work diligently to initially begin evaluation and treatment for each patient within 30 minutes or less of their noted arrival. When the patient is seen by a medical professional -- a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner -- the time is logged, to track performance to help staff keep the pledge of short wait times.
“While the goal of Tennova Healthcare’s ER Service Pledge is to work diligently to initially see patients within 30 minutes of their arrival, the most critical health emergencies always will receive top priority,” says Dr. Jan Robbins, ER medical director. “We record and monitor many indicators as part of ongoing efforts to provide high-quality, timely care. I’m pleased to report that the majority of patients at Tennova Healthcare’s ER are already being seen within 30 minutes of their arrival time.”
For January - September 2025, the average wait time for the LaFollette Medical Center ER was 22 minutes.
The hospital will launch the 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service Pledge on October 22, 2025. “We believe this service ER Service Pledge will underscore our commitment to provide quality emergency care to the people who live and work in the LaFollette community,” says Cain.
“Though we’re committed to prompt and appropriate care for our ER patients, the 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service Pledge should not be misinterpreted as an effort to rush patients through the ER,” he adds. “Our process improvements focus on getting ER patients into a treatment room as quickly as possible, enabling our medical professionals to see the patient and begin diagnosis and treatment in a timely manner.”
The ED wait time represents the time it takes from arrival until a patient is initially seen by a medical professional (physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner). Patients are triaged upon their arrival in the ED. They are then seen by a medical professional in an order based on their complaint, condition, and the reason for their visit. While many patients are initially seen by a medical professional within 30 minutes of their arrival, during peak times when the number of patients and/or trauma situations exceeds the number of providers or beds, some patients are not initially seen within 30 minutes of their noted arrival.
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