EMERGENCY SERVICES

Emergency Department
Ripon Medical Center’s Emergency Department is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, with care provided by in-house emergency physicians and nurses.

When you first come to the Emergency Department, you will receive a “triage” assessment. A nurse will take down important information about your reason for seeking care. You may be asked about your medical history, allergies, or medications. The purpose of this triage assessment is to find out about your illness or injury and how severe it might be. The triage assessment determines the order in which you will receive a medical screening examination. The triage assessment is not the actual medical screening exam. After triage, if you feel worse, please notify the receptionist right away; you may have to be re-triaged.

After your triage assessment, a registration clerk will collect information necessary to begin your Emergency Department record. If you do not require immediate care or are not critically ill or injured, this most likely will occur before you receive a medical screening exam. You have the right, within the capabilities of RMC’s staff and facilities, to have a medical screening examination performed by a doctor. The purpose of this exam is to determine whether you are suffering from an emergency medical condition.

If you are suffering from an emergency medical condition, you will receive whatever treatment RMC’s staff and facilities have the capabilities to provide in order to stabilize your condition. If RMC lacks the capability to stabilize the condition, the hospital will arrange to have you transferred to another facility that can do so.

You will receive these services even if you do not have insurance coverage. No person will be denied treatment based on their ability to pay.


Walk-in Care
Walk-in care is available at RMC for specific conditions. Walk-in care hours are 5:00 pm to 8:00 am, Monday through Friday, and 24 hours per day on weekends and holidays. We are not able to determine if you qualify for walk-in care until after your evaluation and treatment is complete. Our charges are determined by using a system based on pre-established numbers for various nursing interventions, lab, x-ray, medication administration, etc. Charges are not based on insurance coverage or lack of insurance coverage.

The following conditions will be registered as a walk-in visit, during the specified hours:

• Otitis media or otitis externa (ear infection), with prescription or dispensing of oral medication
• Sore throat with one lab test ordered (rapid strep/throat culture)
• Urinary tract infection with one lab test ordered (urinalysis)
• Simple rash requiring prescription only
• Simple abrasion not requiring sutures or dermabond
• Simple viral infection not requiring medications
• Simple diagnosis not requiring lab or x-ray
• Simple conjunctivitis not requiring staining

Any patient requiring more than one lab test or requiring an x-ray will not qualify for walk-in registration. Patients requiring a parenteral medication (injection) other than tetanus booster for simple abrasions will not qualify for walk-in registration. All other conditions or patients presenting for treatment during times outside of the walk-in hours stated will be registered as an emergency visit.


Allergy Injections
Ripon Medical Center is pleased to offer the option to receive allergy injections at a time that is convenient for your lifestyle. Allergy injections are offered through our Emergency Department as an outpatient procedure. Our staff will work with you and your primary care physician so that obtaining your allergy injections does not interfere with work, school, or other life activities. We are available 24 hours a day, every day, including weekends and holidays.

• Allergy work-up and responsibility for initial and follow-up care will remain in the hands of your private care physician.
• You (the client) will be responsible for bringing the medication prescribed and your allergy injection orders to the Emergency Department registration desk.
• Our pharmacist may check the medication and the orders to assure proper labeling.
• Ripon Medical Center will store your allergy medication while you are receiving injections, if you so desire.
• All medication refills and re-orders are the joint responsibility of you and your primary care physician.
• Upon completion of the last injection, you will be given a copy of your allergy injection record to give to your primary care physician, as well as any unused medication. We will discard unused medication at your request only.
• You must provide your insurance card for billing purposes. If you wish to pay cash, it will be collected prior to the injection, and a receipt will be provided. Please note that insurance company deductibles may vary.
  You must remain in the department for 30 minutes after receiving your injection (no exceptions) and have the nurse check your injection site prior to leaving.
• Any client who has a reaction requiring the use of epinephrine will be considered an emergency and your status will change to an Emergency Department patient.
• The Emergency Department physician will then be responsible for your treatment, and you will be billed accordingly.

Please understand that there may be times that you will have a short wait for service, as patients with acute medical conditions will have priority for care by our nursing staff. Thank you for your understanding.

Outpatient Drug Therapy
Patients may have IV antibiotic therapy or necessary non-narcotic medications administered by our nursing staff.


We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our services. Please call 920-748-9126.