The Pen Bay Medical Center Emergency Department is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for Midcoast residents and visitors who need our services.

We would like you to know what to expect during your visit here and have provided this information card for your comfort and understanding.

Our Facility
The Emergency Department (ED) within Pen Bay Medical Center has 12 beds within our clinical area and a staff of medical professionals: physicians, registered professional nurses and emergency care technicians. Our well-equipped hospital has a wide range of services available to the ED all day, every day.

The ED treats patients from infancy through adulthood, no matter what the illness or injury. Our staff will not refuse treatment to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay for services. More information about paying your hospital bill is available from our fiscal services department. Click here to see that web page.

Learn more about a special program for MaineCare dental patients, coordinated by the Pen Bay Emergency Department. Click here. (Pen Bay website, new window)

Our Staff
Our ED staff consists of physicians, registered professional nurses and emergency care technicians.

Our ED physicians have special training in emergency care and are board-certified in emergency medicine and in family practice. In addition, many specialists are on call and available to assess patients at the request of the ED physician. These include specialists in cardiology, orthopedics, general surgery, ophthalmology, urology, OB/GYN, radiology, oncology and neurology.

Our ED nurses are all registered professionals who have extensive training and experience in emergency care.

Our emergency care technicians are trained, through a curriculum created by the Emergency Nurses Association, to recognize critical patient signs and symptoms, do EKGs, draw blood, and conduct other bedside diagnostic tests.

What to Expect
When you first arrive in the ED, a receptionist will notify the triage nurse and ask for your name and date of birth. If you are already receiving care, a family member or friend will be asked to provide this information on your behalf.

Triage means to sort or prioritize. A triage nurse has been specially trained to perform an assessment of the seriousness of your injury or illness. He or she will ask you why you came to the ED, what medical problems you have, what medications you are taking and if you are allergic to anything.

The triage nurse will also take your vital signs, including your temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and ask you to rate any pain you are experiencing on a scale of 0 to 10. He or she may also initiate lab and or X-ray exams according to our pre-established protocols.

After your assessment, the triage nurse will assign you to a triage category, which is what is used to decide which patient needs to be seen first.

If you do not need immediate treatment, please be patient. Our goal is to see all patients quickly and efficiently. The most seriously ill or injured must be seen first, which is why you may see people who arrived after you receive treatment before you do.

As soon as it is possible -- and based upon the triage nurse's initial assessment -- you will be taken from the waiting room to an exam room for assessment and treatment by the emergency physician.

The emergency physician will examine you and create a plan of care that could include medication administration, diagnostic tests or IVs while you are here. Your primary nurse will initiate those orders. If necessary, the physician can call upon the services of a roster of specialists who are on call for emergency care.

Based on the physician's assessment and the results of any diagnostic tests, the physician will create a Disposition Plan of Care, which could mean either admission to the hospital or discharge back to home with written discharge instructions for you to follow.

The PBMC Emergency Department informs your Primary Care Physician about your visit to the ED. Our medical staff communicates electronically, which means your test results and documentation are quickly available to your primary care physician or any specialist you may be referred to for follow-up care.

Our Discharge and Billing Procedures
When you are ready to be discharged from the ED, our staff will carefully review a printout of your care instructions with you. A full report of your visit will be forwarded to your primary care provider with recommendations for follow-up care.

Should you need wheelchair assistance to a waiting vehicle or taxi service to assist you in getting home, your assigned nurse or emergency care technician will make those arrangements for you.

When you are discharged at the end of your visit, you will be asked to stop by our registration desk to ensure we have accurate demographic information and to provide you with an opportunity to pay the out-of-pocket co-pay requested by your insurance carrier.

We treat everyone regardless of their ability to pay for services. Patients requiring assistance are invited to call the Patient Accounts Department at (207) 701-3151, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you have further questions while you are waiting, feel free to ask the triage nurse, receptionist or volunteer when he or she is available to speak with you, or your attending nurse or physician. Your comments and suggestions about the services we provide you are always welcome.

More information about paying your hospital bill is available from our fiscal services department. Click here to see that web page.

1/23/13