The Emergency Department at Cleveland Clinic in Florida is elevating emergency care to a new level through a make-over that is more than skin deep. With a renewed emphasis on patient experience, Cleveland Clinic’s ERadvantage combines innovative medicine with a concierge-approach to service that will provide patients with an emergency room experience of quality, convenience and comfort.

A newly recruited team of seven board-certified emergency medicine physicians now staffs the Emergency Department. Unlike many ERs today, where nurse practitioners and physician assistants are often the frontline of emergency care, every patient coming to Cleveland Clinic’s 24-hour emergency room is seen by a physician.

“This is the first time in our campus’ history that our Emergency Department is staffed by Cleveland Clinic physicians, allowing us to extend our unique model of medicine to the ER, as well as creating a synergy with our specialty care services” says Bernardo Fernandez, M.D., chief executive officer of Cleveland Clinic in Florida. “Requiring board-certification of our emergency medicine specialists and facilitating full collaboration with our physicians in 35 medical specialties, allows our emergency team to provide a higher level of patient care. That is our first priority as we strive to improve patient experience through our ERadvantage program.”

Another element of Cleveland Clinic’s Emergency Department make-over is the commitment to see every ER patient within 30 minutes of arrival. Average wait times in U.S. emergency rooms span four to six hours. That factor alone can color any patient’s experience and decrease satisfaction in their level of care. Cleveland Clinic’s nearly paperless work environment, which includes electronically generated discharge instructions, and fast-track assessment protocols eliminate many of the inefficiencies that hamper other emergency rooms.

To facilitate an exceptional level of customer service and ensure total comfort, Cleveland Clinic’s Emergency Department is staffed with a special ER concierge, who is responsible for assisting patients and their families with their individual needs as they await treatment. Going forward, all ER staff will also complete mandatory customer service and patient relations training, in order to ensure that a consistent level of “concierge care” is being provided to patients.