Thank you for trusting us with your care. Medical emergencies are stressful and often confusing. Our emergency department (ED) faculty and staff are committed to providing the highest quality and safest care possible. We promise to treat you with dignity and respect.
Patient Guide
What can I expect at the Michigan Medicine Emergency Department?
Once you arrive at the ED, you will go through the step-by-step process of check-in and triage, evaluation and treatment, registration, and then either discharge or hospitalization. Read on to learn more about each step.
- Many patients are referred to our ED by their providers, as our health system offers many specialty services and excellent patient care. However, referrals do not guarantee priority evaluation or admission. During busy times when the hospital has a large number of patients, patients may experience longer wait times in the ED waiting room.
Check-in & Triage
Our check-in staff will ask several questions to open or create a medical record for you.
- A triage nurse will ask more questions to determine how we should begin your care. Triage is the process of checking patient illnesses and injuries and organizing patients based on their need for emergency treatment.
- We will take you to a triage area for privacy where a nurse will talk with you about how you are feeling. A member of our team will also measure your temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure.
- If a treatment area is not available when the nurse is done, we will direct you to a waiting area. To help speed up your visit, the triage nurse may begin one or more medical tests to get your treatment started while you wait.
- Some patients will be moved directly to a treatment area if their condition is extremely serious or if they have a condition that could spread to others in the waiting area.
- The ED uses text messages to keep you and your friends or family updated on your care. You can sign up to receive these text updates during check-in.
Evaluation & Treatment
- Your care team will include a nurse, a doctor, and a physician assistant, resident doctor, or medical student to provide care for you, manage your care team, and keep you informed during your visit.
- As part of your medical evaluation, your medical provider may recommend certain tests to help us better understand your condition. These may include blood or urine (pee) tests, an EKG to see how your heart is working, and special tests that create pictures of the inside of your body, such as an ultrasound, X-ray, CT scan, or MRI. -- Lab work and X-rays often take 60-90 minutes, while specialty tests (CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds) can take several hours.
- Michigan Medicine is a teaching hospital, so medical students, residents, and fellows may be part of your care team. A board-certified emergency medicine doctor closely supervises the care of each patient in the ED.
Registration
Once you move to the treatment area, a staff member called a registrar will meet with you to confirm your address, the name of your primary care doctor, your insurance information, and your preferred pharmacy.
- The registrar will prepare a consent form that we’ll ask you to sign. Signing the form gives us permission to treat you in the ED and bill your insurance.
- MyUofMHealth.org is our online patient portal that lets you request prescription refills, manage appointments, pay bills, and access test results online. Our registration team can help you enroll in MyUofMHealth.org if you are not already enrolled.
Discharge from the Emergency Department
When your evaluation and testing is complete, you may be cleared for discharge (meaning that you can leave the ED and hospital).
- Before being discharged, your treatment team will review your test results, diagnosis, and any plans for follow-up care with you. You will receive a copy of discharge instructions (plans of care you should follow outside the hospital) before you leave.
--Talk with your nurse or medical provider about any questions or concerns you may have about your care or discharge instructions before you leave the ED.
--Talk to your nurse early if you think you’ll have any difficulties with getting a ride home once you’re discharged, or if you have any other concerns with discharge.
--Let us know if you need a medical note for work or school. - When you are ready to leave, be sure to stop at checkout to complete any final paperwork and take care of payments or copays.
Hospitalization
Sometimes more hospital care is required for your condition. We know this may be unexpected. Please let us know if we can help you with phone calls or other ways to help you prepare for your stay.
- If hospitalization is your next step, your ED care team will ensure a smooth transition to the admitting team that will be caring for you.
- We recommend that you send personal belongings home with friends or family. A member of our security team can help you secure any personal belongings that you are not able to send home.
Your Care Team
Our ED team members wear color-coded scrubs to help you understand the different roles of our staff members.
- Your care team may also include social workers, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists.
- Our ED medical team may also discuss your health with other Michigan Medicine specialty doctors. Throughout the process, your nurse will keep you informed, answer your questions, and address your concerns.
Family & Visitor Policy
To protect the privacy and safety of all patients, visitation is limited to one or two visitors at a time, depending on patient location. A visitor badge is required for entry into the treatment area and may be obtained from the guest services specialist in the waiting area.
A visitor center for family and friends is located in close proximity to the Emergency Department. Visitors may be asked to move to the visitor center to reserve waiting room space for patients. Large groups of family and visitors may be relocated to an alternate waiting area.