Chesterton Health and Emergency Center Offers Shorter Wait Times, High Patient Satisfaction

Chesterton-Health-Emergency-CenterThe Chesterton Health and Emergency Center offers average wait times of 15 minutes or less and has maintained a patient satisfaction rate in the 99 percentile since it opened in 2012, according to medical director, David Hunnius, D.O.

The center, which is open 24/7 and is the area’s only freestanding emergency facility, also assures patients will receive primary care from board-certified emergency medicine physicians.

There’s no type of emergency we can’t handle; this is a full-service department, staffed by experienced, board-certified physicians. We offer everything a hospital-based emergency department does,” said Hunnius, who, since 2009, also has been medical director of Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City, parent of the Chesterton center.

We provide compassionate, highly skilled medical care, which results in very satisfied patients, as evidenced by our patient satisfaction scores,” Hunnius said.

Travis Thatcher-Curtis, Franciscan St. Anthony Health Emergency Department manager, who also oversees the Chesterton center, said the 15-minute average figure is not a gimmick, but is based on 2013 tracking board data. Assessing patients sooner results in faster diagnoses, treatment and ultimately, satisfaction, he added.

Besides the high patient satisfaction scores recorded since we opened, the Chesterton ED was also a 2013 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award winner, which is presented to organizations that achieve satisfaction scores in the 95 percentile or greater over a designated period of time. Our patients are receiving the definitive level of care they need in a timely manner and are receiving it from a care team with a high level of competency with regards to emergency medicine.”

Thatcher-Curtis said being able to more quickly complete the treatment process “gives patients back time in their day because of the efficiency with which we can provide services.”

The center also includes an onsite laboratory, high-field open MRI, 64-slice CT, ultrasound, mammography and general x-ray services, along with primary care and specialty physician practices.

The Chesterton Health and Emergency Center is located at 770 Indian Boundary Road. For more information, call (219) 877-1493.