ER Group

Volumes of patients

St George’s Life Healthcare Emergency Unit consults a wide variety of emergency cases. Approximately 1200 patients are consulted per month with a large proportion being COID cases. The unit has seen exceptional growth in patient numbers over the last 12 months, in line with the expectation set as a result of the extensive hospital infrastructure upgrade.

Clinical profile

This unit manages adult and paediatric emergencies incorporating trauma and medical cases. The local industry results in a large proportion of COID cases. The unit is well supported by general specialist cover and is fast becoming the service provider of choice in an emergency for the greater community.

Fees and Administration fee

An administration levy of R70-00 is charged to all medical aid patients This amount is collected at the time of consultation. The patients account is then submitted to medical aid directly by ER Consulting Inc. provided the correct information is given.

Triage

South African Triage Group (SATG) protocols are employed in the unit. All patients are triaged on arrival and are allocated a triage category colour. This colour represents the acuity of the patient and the order in which the patient will be seen.

Doctor Model

The unit is lead by a senior doctor with 10 years experience in emergency medicine. A further 3 full time ER Consulting Inc. doctors assist with the cover with the balance of the hours completed by accredited locum doctors.

Locums

All locums are ER Consulting Inc. accredited. The locum pool is very small as most shifts are covered by full time doctors.

Shifts

Doctors work in shifts with 2 doctors on duty during busy times. There is an additional doctor on call 24 hours a day.

Administration

A full time unit administrator is employed by ER Consulting Inc. to perform all administrative tasks on site. The administrative data is exported to head office where the full process is completed.

Continued Professional Development

ER Consulting Inc. hosts accredited monthly Morbidity & Mortality and CPD meetings attended by specialists, nursing staff and paramedics. These meetings offer the opportunity to discuss pertinent issues in the unit and to remedy any problems that may arise.

WCA/COID

Numerous businesses in the area make use of the efficient WCA service that accepts all patients injured on duty, provided a copy of their ID book and the Employer’s Report are present. This documentation is then collated by our unit administrator together with the First & Progress Medical Reports before being submitted to our head office for processing.

Clinical Protocols

ER Consulting Inc. operates according to international best practice and is guided by the ER Consulting Inc. clinical guidelines which is available in electronic format and accessible 24 hours per day. Furthermore our National Clinical Director ensures that all doctors are up to date through the innovative clinical proficiency scorecard.

Research

ER Consulting Inc. collaborates on research projects between units and is currently developing infrastructure to allow for more regular publication of academic articles in medical journals. ER Consulting Inc has close ties with Emergency Medicine Departments of most large Academic Hospitals.