Emergency Department

Our newly renovated Emergency Department streamlines patients through triage and provides increased security and privacy.

Dr. Richard Taylor, Emergency Room physician, attending to a patient.

What is the Emergency Department?

The Emergency Department at CVMC is where medical emergencies, such as broken bones, car accidents or heart attacks are treated. Ideally, if you are sick or injured, you should first check with your doctor to see if you should go to the Emergency Department. But if this is not possible, the Emergency Department is here to help you.

Our Services

The following are things you need to know about Emergency Care at CVMC:

• Everyone is treated regardless of their ability to pay
• All patients must register when they arrive with information such as name, address, family doctor and insurance coverage.
• Treatment will not be delayed because of registration
• If you are too ill to provide the needed information, a family member can help
• Arriving here with your medications or a list of your medications is very helpful to the staff
• You or your family member must sign a consent form which allows the ED staff to treat you and bill your insurance company
• A triage nurse is responsible for evaluating your condition before you are seen by a doctor
• You will be seen and treated as soon as possible depending on the seriousness of your situation
• You have the right and responsibility to express any concerns you may have to the nurse assigned to you

Treatment

You will be seen by a doctor, assigned a nurse, and may have:

• vital signs (such as blood pressure, pulse and temperature) taken
• x-rays, lab tests, EKGs (heart tracing) or other tests

Depending on test results you may need:

• a visit from a specialist
• admission to the hospital
• bandages, casts or splints
• medication
• IV fluids
• stitches
• surgery

Transfer to Another Hospital

Some patients will require transfer to another hospital for certain critical care conditions. We have longstanding working relationships with the two academic tertiary care hospitals in our region, Fletcher Allen Health Center in Burlington and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, New Hampshire. We work closely with them to make many services available to our patients, including:

• STEMI Care: STEMI stands for ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction. That refers to patients having active heart attacks and we treat this with the utmost urgency, stabilizing and rapidly delivering our patients to Fletcher Allen Health Center or Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for emergent cardiac catheterization and further intervention treatment.
• Stroke Care: Stroke, too, is a condition requiring rapid identification, stabilization, and treatment. If appropriate, we use medication that can open up a blocked artery in the brain. In some other cases, we transfer our patients to Fletcher Allen Health Center or Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center where advanced interventional therapies can be carried out.
• Trauma Care: Some trauma patients who are stabilized in our Emergency Department will be transferred to Fletcher Allen Health Center or Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for further evaluation and treatment.

In addition to our excellent local ambulance crews, we also have access to specialty transport services:

• FACT (Fletcher Allen Critical Transport): One of the Fletcher Allen Critical Transport (FACT) trucks is stationed at Central Vermont Medical Center daily to provide rapid access to tertiary care for patients in central Vermont
• DHART (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team): DHART air medical transportation operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week. DHART helicopter crews transport adult, pediatric and neonatal patients to ANY appropriate medical facility in New England.

Costs and Insurance

The Emergency Department at CVMC treats all patients without regard to their insurance coverage or their ability to pay. If you have insurance, bring your insurance card with you and present it at registration in the ED.

Please note:

Some insurance companies require a referral from the primary care physician to provide full coverage. Coverage may also be reduced or denied if your insurance company determines that your visit did not meet their criteria for an "emergency." Please refer to your insurance policy so that you fully understand the coverage provisions for use of the emergency department.

If you do not have insurance, you can contact a Financial Counselor at 802-371-5999 to help you with your bill.

Follow Up

You will be given instructions when you are released from the Emergency Department. These may include:

• Making arrangements to see a doctor or specialist.
• Signs and symptoms that would alert you to return to the ED.