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Lakewood Hospital Begins Taking Reservations For Emergency Room Care

LAKEWOOD (CBS) — Have an emergency? Make a reservation.

Lakewood Regional Medical Center says they're now taking reservations for care in its emergency room online, allowing patients with non-emergency conditions to avoid lengthy waits.

Patients can make an appointment for 90 minutes to two hours in advance, which the hospital's Patrick Houston says is the typical amount of time they would spend if they just showed up at an emergency room.

The InQuickER service costs $14.99 and can be accessed at www.LakewoodER.com.

The hospital guarantees that patients using the reservation system will be seen by a health care professional within 15 minutes of their scheduled appointment or their booking fee will be refunded.

Emergency room physician Dr. Bruce Jetton says that the economy and emergency room closures in the area have contributed to overcrowding in ERs that stay open, resulting in longer wait times.

"We are committed to providing best and most prompt service possible and we are putting some things in place to give hospital emergency room patients options and information," Jetton said.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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