(Courtesy of HRH) Many conditions and complaints bring people to a hospital’s emergency department, but whether they hobble in on a sprained ankle or drag themselves in with fever and chills, everybody who makes that trip has one thing in common: They’ve decided that they shouldn’t wait to see a doctor.
Alexander Sarenac, MD, couldn’t agree more. As director of emergency medicine at Hudson Regional Hospital in Secaucus, Dr. Sarenac has implemented care protocols and staffing strategies to speed people’s path from the registration desk to medical attention. “We’re very proud of our door-to-provider time,” the board-certified emergency medicine physician said. Dr. Sarenac explained that the majority of newly arriving patients undergo triage—initial assessment of the urgency and severity of their medical issue—within 15 to 20 minutes. “Further, the majority of patients are seen by a provider within approximately 30 minutes of arrival,” Dr. Sarenac said, adding that this represents one of the shortest times to care in the northern New Jersey/New York City area.
That emphasis on timely attention is just one of many performance-based goals and other enhancements that the new hospital ownership and medical leadership has implemented in the emergency department since taking the reins at Hudson Regional Hospital in 2018.
“All of the physicians providing care in the emergency department have practiced emergency medicine for at least a decade, with many having 15 or 20 years’ experience caring for patients with all types of emergent conditions,” Dr. Sarenac said. “These are clinicians with excellent diagnostic abilities and treatment skills, but they also are physicians who listen, who communicate well, who are sensitive to the concerns of people from various cultural backgrounds, and who bring great compassion and empathy to their work.”
That emphasis on effective interaction carries over to how emergency department doctors partner with other physicians who may be involved in a patient’s care. “We communicate and collaborate with area primary care physicians when their patients present to the emergency department, and we have excellent working relationships with the full spectrum of specialists who may need to be consulted or called in to provide comprehensive care,” Dr. Sarenac said.
Convenient Location, In-Network Insurance Participation
The commitment to assuring patients ready access to emergency department care and, if needed, specialty services, also is reflected in Hudson Regional Hospital’s decision to secure in-network status with the area’s major insurance and managed care plans. “The whole point is to provide an efficient, convenient means for people to receive the care they need,” Dr. Sarenac said. “Hudson Regional Hospital begins with a geographic advantage in that regard, as our location on Meadowlands Parkway here in Secaucus is easily reached from routes 3, 17, 1 and 9; the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike as well as other major highways; and the Lincoln Tunnel. And once they arrive at the emergency department, we can offer patients short waiting times thanks to the procedures we’ve put in place, but we realize that access is not just a matter of place and time, but also is affected by insurance coverage. That’s why the hospital has in-network participation in the majority of commercial plans.”
“We’re in the midst of a renovation, or ‘facelift,’ that entails remodeling all areas of the emergency department. Besides making for a brighter, more pleasant environment, we’re incorporating features and approaches that will facilitate the more-efficient delivery of care, and that will enhance patient and family members’ convenience and comfort,” the physician said. He explained that upgrades include flat-screen televisions in all rooms and an interactive bedside call system.
Hudson Regional Hospital is located at 55 Meadowlands Parkway in Secaucus. Its emergency department is open and fully staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be contacted at (201) 392-3210. For more information on Hudson Regional Hospital and its physicians, departments, and services visit hudsonregionalhospital.com.
