Every Minute Matters at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center

11/19/2025

Shorter ER wait times help patients get the care they need, faster

POPLAR BLUFF, MO – When health emergencies happen, patients and their family members often turn to the emergency department for prompt medical attention. With thousands of patient encounters in the emergency department (ED) annually, Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center (PBRMC) not only delivers medically necessary, life-saving patient care, but it also prioritizes short wait times, with a goal to connect every patient with a medical professional for timely assessment and treatment.

ED wait times can be an indicator of hospital efficiency and patient experience, and are one of the quality indicators measured for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) star ratings. While CMS measures the total time a patient spends in the ER, the first step at PBRMC is to be evaluated by a physician or an Advanced Practice Provider (APP).

“We don’t want any patients sitting in the waiting room for extended periods of time. We’re continuously evaluating and refining our processes to get patients timely care,” said Jared E. Ebert, M.D., Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center emergency department’s medical director. “We will always prioritize the most critical patients, but our goal is for every patient to be seen in the shortest amount of time possible.”

When considering whether to visit the emergency department, rather than an urgent care or primary care doctor, it’s important to remember that emergency departments typically treat life-threatening situations that need immediate attention in a hospital setting, such as heart attack symptoms, stroke symptoms, difficulty breathing, severe allergic reaction and uncontrollable bleeding. Urgent care centers are an option when quick treatment is needed but it is not a medical emergency, such as sprains and strains, low-grade fever and mild flu or cold symptoms.

With the holidays approaching, PBRMC often experiences an uptick in ED visits. According to the American Heart Association, the risk of heart attack and stroke increases around the holidays, but people often ignore early warning signs rather than getting them checked out.

“Early evaluation and treatment is critical for these time sensitive diagnoses (heart attack and stroke),” said Dr. Ebert. “Prompt treatment not only saves lives, it can minimize long-term damage and complications. Our team is well-equipped to evaluate patients and get them the care they need even during these busiest months of year.”

PBRMC is accredited by the American College of Cardiology as a Chest Pain Center and as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission, which reinforces that it follows the national standards of care for heart attack and stroke. Common heart attack symptoms include chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body and shortness of breath. Stroke symptoms include face drooping, arm weakness, and speech difficulty. Anyone experiencing heart attack or stroke symptoms should call 9-1-1.

In 2024, PBRMC’s emergency department provided care at more than 42 thousand patient visits. For more information, visit Pbrmc.com/emergency-department.

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