If you go to the emergency room at Dominican Hospital, how long will it take before you are evaluated?
The federal government says 10 minutes on average.
That’s better than the wait of 15 minutes at Watsonville Community Hospital, according to a new database causing some hospital officials nationwide to cringe. It takes the ERs of Watsonville Community and Dominican an average of 142 and 153 minutes, respectively, from the time that a patient arrives in the ER to the time they are sent home. In that category, both local hospitals bested the average across California (173 minutes) and across the United States (140 minutes).
Key measures of ER efficiency have been posted from hospitals taking part across the country, according to a report by former San Diego Union-Tribune writer Cheryl Clark, now senior quality editor for HealthLeaders Media.
“With precious little fanfare, Uncle Sam last month rolled out a big, fat database with seven measures comparing a service that many people—healthcare providers and patients alike—consider the most critical any hospital can provide,” Clark wrote last week.
Data collected in 2011 and early 2012 also tracked how long it took for an ER patient to be seen by a healthcare professional and how long the wait was to get a bed if they needed admission. Other data showed how long patients spent in the ER before being sent home and whether they received a brain scan if they might have suffered a stroke.
Clark interviewed Dr. Jesse Pines, an emergency room doctor and researcher who directs the center for healthcare quality at George Washington University.
“The theory is that when hospitals report this information, it makes them focus on it, and improve throughout their [Emergency Department],” Pines was quoted as saying.
“But it’s very hard to do. Certain performance measures are easier to fix—simple process measures like giving patients an aspirin—than improving ED throughput, which involves development of interdisciplinary teams.”
Pines told Clark the public attention pushes hospital administrators to focus on the emergency rooms as well as other metrics.
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To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is important to work with a professional in this area. Additional questions? Ask us, we’re here to help! For additional information about our insurance products, no-cost advice or for your free, no-obligation insurance quote, please contact the professionals at Scurich Insurance Services today at 800-320-3666 and we will be more than happy to assist you.
This story was taken form www.watsonville.patch.com and was written by Jennifer Squires. Scurich Insurance did not create this content–we just wanted to share it with you!
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As most of you know, Scurich Insurance Services, has a fantastic program that is known as the Happy Customer Program. We use this program to see how our insurance agency ranks in your own personal standards.
All we request is that you fill out our simple customer satisfaction servery. once you complete this step we will send you a $5.00 gift card to Starbucks. That’s right your next cup of coffee or frappe is on Scurich Insurance Services. What else can make your day any better besides a fresh cup of coffee?
For more information about any of our Products and Services contact Scurich Insurance Services located in Watsonville, California.
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The spread of social media has revolutionized not only the way we connect with friends and family, but also how we conduct business. However, this asset can quickly turn into a liability if misused – for example, in recruiting your company’s most valuable asset – its employees.
Many employers begin the hiring process by using social-media outlets to screen applicants. LinkedIn and Facebook can provide a wealth of information about applicants’ education, their friends, and their personal behavior. Some companies reject candidates based on the content of their social-media pages. This might include anything from inappropriate photos or comments, discriminatory or slanderous statements, and references to alcohol and substance abuse, to sharing confidential information about their previous employers(s), displaying poor communication skills, or exaggerating their qualifications.
Although all of these indicators raise red flags, you could be risking a costly and annoying discrimination lawsuit if you access social-media sites which contain protected class information that’s not privileged in the normal hiring process.
To minimize this risk, it makes sense to:
- When hiring, use outside third parties such as background-verification companies and/or recruiters who document content from social-media sites in selecting candidates.
- Develop and enforce a comprehensive social-media usage policy.
- Purchase an Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) policy
To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is important to work with a professional in this area. Additional questions? Ask us, we’re here to help!
For additional information about our
insurance products, no-cost advice or for your free, no-obligation insurance quote, please contact the professionals at
Scurich Insurance Services today at 800-320-3666 and we will be more than happy to assist you.
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Although gun control remains a controversial issue, when it comes to insuring firearms, Homeowners coverage offers some clear guidelines.
If you have rifles and pistols in your home, your policy will insure them against fire damage or theft, usually up to $2,500. Although a Homeowners application might not ask specifically about firearms, the higher liability risk that guns present means that failing to inform your agent or insurance company in advance about them could result in denial of a claim for loss or damage to them.
Because of this greater liability exposure, your insurer might require you to show that you’ve taken such sensible precautions as installing trigger locks, securing firearms properly in locked gun cases, and keeping them away from children. If you have a collection of guns that’s particularly valuable (for example, antique sidearms), you might need to buy a policy rider that ensures their replacement or reimbursement — much as with other big-ticket items, such as jewelry and fine art.
If you shoot someone else or yourself accidentally while in the home, your policy might pay for some or all of the damages, (medical bills, property damage, liability claims, and so forth), depending on the amount of coverage. However, to guarantee full protection, you would need additional policy riders, such as “Sporting Firearm insurance,” “Collector’s Firearm insurance,” or “Gun Club Liability insurance.”
To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is important to work with a professional in this area. Additional questions? Ask us, we’re here to help! For additional information about our insurance products, no-cost advice or for your free, no-obligation insurance quote, please contact the professionals at Scurich Insurance Services today at 800-320-3666 and we will be more than happy to assist you.
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Homeowners insurance in California, is a necessity when it comes to buying a house. In fact, most mortgage companies will not finance a real estate transaction unless you provide proof that you have the proper coverage for most if not all of the property you intend to purchase.
Over the next few weeks, Scurich Insurance Services would like to give you a few tips when it comes to purchasing homeowners insurance as well as some cost saving ideas that can actually help reduce your insurance costs.
This week we will be taking a look into the different types of discounts you can receive when it comes to your homeowners insurance policy.
You’re probably familiar with the basic discounts that most insurance companies offer on Homeowners coverage, such as bundling Home and Auto insurance, loyalty rewards, and installing smoke detectors and/or home security systems.
However, a growing number of companies offer significant premium discounts on Homeowners insurance to policy holders who are:
- Senior citizens. If you’re 60 or older, you could lower your premium by as much as 15%.
- Non-smokers. If you’ve given up the habit — or have never picked up a cigarette, cigar, or pipe — you might qualify for a discount.
- Married couples or widows/widowers. Could be eligible for discounts of up to 5%.
- New buyers who have closed a home purchase within 60 days.
- Willing to increase coverage to reflect a rise in inflation.
- Ready to buy coverage for the full value of a home.
- Prepared to buy from a new carrier before the policy with your current insurance company expires.
- New policy holders with the company (the “welcome” discount) and purchasing coverage for the entire value of your home.
You might also be eligible for a discount if you don’t have a Property damage claim for a specified period, such as three years.
Bear in mind that many insurance companies might not offer some (or any) of these discounts.
To see if you’re eligible for any of these policies simply check with the professionals at Scurich Insurance Services located in Watsonville, California. We might be able to save you some big dollars.
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It’s Friday and Scurich Insurance Services located in Watsonville, California would like to help you unwind for the weekend with this week’s joke of the week.
One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.
About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family.
“You aren’t going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman to the fisherman, “you should be working rather than lying on the beach!”
The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?”
“Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’s answer.
“And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling.
The businessman replied, “You will make money and you’ll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!” “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman again.
The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman’s questions. “You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!” he said.
“And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman.
The businessman was getting angry. “Don’t you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!”
Once again the fisherman asked, “And then what will my reward be?”
The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don’t you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won’t have a care in the world!”
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, “And what do you think I’m doing right now?”
Do you have a joke for us? Well let us know by leaving your joke in the comments section and your joke might just make it to our blog!
To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is important to work with a professional in this area. Additional questions? Ask us, we’re here to help! For additional information about our insurance products, no-cost advice or for your free, no-obligation insurance quote, please contact the professionals at Scurich Insurance Services today at 800-320-3666 and we will be more than happy to assist you.
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