Ocala Health Connecting Smartphone Users to ER Wait Times

Local hospitals keeping patients informed with innovative Smartphone application

Ocala, Florida (January 5, 2010) - Ocala Regional Medical Center and West Marion Community Hospital are using smartphone technology to give Ocala patients immediate access to their ER Wait Times on iTriage® -- a mobile acute care decision tool developed by Healthagen®.

Area Smartphone users can download iTriage from the app store for the iPhone® and from the market for Android™ or access iTriage at www.iTriageHealth.com. Healthagen developed the technology. It empowers consumers to evaluate symptoms, learn about the possible causes, find appropriate locations for treatment, and get quality information based on the type of facility.  Ocala Health is the first hospital in the Ocala area to list ER Wait Times on the iTriage application.

As an organization, we are always looking to improve patient care and healthcare services to the communities we serve, said H. Rex Etheredge, chief executive officer, Ocala Health. In 2009, we offered our community a way to find out the wait times for emergency services by texting. We still have that service, but now, we also have iTriage. This resource is a powerful application that gives patients information they need to make informed decisions.”

“By adopting this new wave of technology, Ocala Health becomes known as mobile healthcare solution leaders and also creates transparency around their emergency department wait times,” explained Peter Hudson, M.D., CEO, Healthagen.

Ocala Health is the health organization which encompasses Ocala Regional Medical Center, a 200-bed facility located in the heart of Ocala, and West Marion Community Hospital, a 70-bed hospital located in West Marion County. The organization includes the only Commission on Cancer approved cancer center in Marion County and inpatient Joint Care Center. It offers a host of medical services including bariatric surgery, cardiac and vascular, emergency, neurological and rehabilitation services and a variety of outpatient services.

iPhone is a registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
Android is a trademark of Google®

Try it out:
iTriage smartphone and desktop version: www.iTriageHealth.com
iTriage Download for iPhone users: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=304696939&mt=8
iTriage Download for Android users can be accessed from the Android market