Emergency-Room Wait Times Delivered by RSS, Text and iPhone Apps

It Would Make Us Switch ERs

Posted by Abbey Klaassen on 10.12.09 @ 05:09 PM

If there's anything worse than having to go to the emergency room it's getting there and having to wait two hours to be seen by a doc, during which you'll probably contract some other disease that will have you back in the same spot a week later. Which is why we kinda liked this marketing push from Hospital Corporation of America's East Florida Division: use digital technology to deliver current emergency room waiting times.

Its current wait times are delivered via RSS feeds to electronic billboards to help promote its claims that waits are much shorter at its ERs than at other south Florida hospitals.

It's also got a texting service and iPhone app that are, perhaps, more practical applications of the information if you're in need of a doctor, stat. Text "ER" to the short code 23000 and you'll get a message back asking for their zip code; reply with it and receive the address to the ER, the wait time and a number to call if you have a question for a nurse. Meanwhile the iPhone app, called iTriage, will help you locate all the nearby ERs (although the HCA ones will have additional information including, yes, current wait time).

"Obviously, people who have a serious injury or medical condition should call 9-1-1 or go to the closest emergency room," wrote Ed Fishbough, in the communications department at HCA, in an email. "HCA East Florida's campaign targets potential walk-in patients who do choose where they will go to get medical care." He added that the network of 12 emergency departments in South Florida have seen "significant increases in the number of patients" visiting its ERs and that they're "very pleased" with the results of this campaign.

6 Comments

By steveraymond | Columbus, OH October 12, 2009 10:59:25 pm:

What a novel and timely ad campaign utilizing the latest technologies. I am not sure it will cause more people to go to the ER as that is an emergency decision but this should win an award for it's brilliance.
Steve
http://ReverseCellPhones.org

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By combs1945 | Denver, CO October 13, 2009 11:23:42 am:

You can check out the full version of the site at http://www.itriagehealth.com.

You can also go to this site on any mobile and get the information as well.

They have also built a full multimedia version of the site specifically for the iPhone and Android at http://www.itriagehealth.com. In addition, they will support the full multimedia version (the same content as in the desktop browser version) for Palm Pre, Bold, and Storm in November.

iTriageHealth.com will also be the first company to build a health apps for the iPhone, Android, and Palm Pre by mid November.

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By ADstruc | NYC, NY October 13, 2009 02:50:54 pm:

what if the wait time flatlines?

John
www.adstruc.com
Building an online marketplace for outdoor advertising.
www.twitter.com/adstruc

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By workinonaramp | Boca Raton, FL October 13, 2009 07:52:41 pm:

I actually wrote a blog post about this exact topic a couple months ago. I would always see the sign with the wait time on my way home and wondered who the hell actually made a decision based on the wait time they had seen on the Turnpike however many days before their emergency. It's cool - but definitely more of a novelty.

Here's a link to my post on the matter:http://workinonaramp.com/2009/05/28/plan-your-emergencies-in-advance-in-south-florida-cause-there-might-be-a-line/

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By bmasters | Lawrence, KS October 22, 2009 01:01:05 pm:

This marketing strategy speaks volumes about the Hospital Corporation of America's East Florida Division. In order to be on top, you have to have an edge on the competition and moving to digital technology did the trick. The idea of RSS feeds to billboards giving potential emergency room-goers up-to-the-minute information on emergency room waits is an extremely important tool to get those patients through your doors. Everyone knows the hassle of an emergency room trip is the long wait time that you don't receive until you walk into that cesspool of sickness.
The IPhone application is also extremely advantageous. Patients can call a quick help nurse line to get information, the address of the nearest hospital and the emergency wait time. I do, however, do think there needs to be a way to get information to non IPhone carriers. Not in this marketing push but in all marketing campaigns. Only a number of people own IPhones and it is important to find a way to reach other cell phone carriers.
The fact that emergency departments in Southern Florida have seen significant increases in their emergency rooms since that start of this campaign proves the success digital technology can bring a company; even a hospital.

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By tbaradat | miami, FL November 15, 2009 11:05:45 am:

In September of 2008, our agency, AB&A Advertising and Marketing was representing HCA Hospitals' East Florida Division as their agency of record. We actually developed this technology
as a minor part of an overall ER campaign we developed for them.

We have since parted ways with HCA, but have developed the next stage of this technology:
ERTexting, Inc. has taken this concept nationally and no longer features a shared short code like 23000 with multiple texting steps that can be cumbersome during an emergency. Our new technology features the short code 4ER411. The person simply texts 4ER411 with their zip code
and participating hospitals respond. More info at www.ertexting.com.

This was in fact a breakthrough concept we came up with; and we're now poised to take it to the next level. We hope many hospitals across the country and even beyond take advantage of this great technology and provide information for people during a difficult time.

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