At the Tanner Emergency Centers, we are committed to making your experience with us effective and efficient. The emergency departments at each Tanner facility are fully staffed with board-certified emergency medicine physicians. Nursing personnel have advanced training including certification in ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support), ENPC (Emergency Nurse’s Pediatric Course), CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse) and TNCC (Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum).

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens in the emergency department?
To help us assess your medical situation, one of our nurses will ask you the reason for your visit and check your vital signs, including temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure and blood oxygen level.

You will be directed to:

• the triage waiting room or a treatment room at Tanner Medical Center Carrollton
• a patient room as soon as possible at Higgins General Hospital
• a patient room as soon as possible at Tanner Medical Center Villa Rica.

The bedside registration process allows us to gather more information for your medical record and includes your provision of consent to be treated in the Emergency Department.

A nurse will ask you questions regarding:

• the reason for your visit
• current medications you are taking
• allergies you may have
• treatment before arrival to the Emergency Department
• your medical history.

Please remain in the waiting area until your name is called. We will respond as quickly as possible to your medical need according to the seriousness of your injury or illness as compared to those of other patients waiting to be seen.

Once your name is called, a nurse will escort you to a treatment room. If your name is called and you do not respond, the next patient will be called.

In order to determine life- or limb-threatening illnesses or injuries or to stabilize such conditions, a trained Emergency Department physician will perform a medical evaluation. This evaluation may include testing or consultation with a specialist.

You will also be asked a number of questions – some of them may seem repetitive, but this process is necessary to make sure we have uncovered all vital information to determine proper treatment.

If your visit results in an admission, we will make arrangements for a hospital room as quickly as possible. Again, your patience is appreciated.

If you are treated and released, you will receive discharge instructions including a physician's name for follow-up care and his/her office number, as well as specific instructions to return to the Emergency Department if your symptoms become worse. If you had X-rays taken while in the Emergency Department and are referred to your family doctor for follow-up, call the Radiology Department in advance to pick up your X-rays the day of your appointment:

Why is there sometimes a wait?
We understand that waiting can be frustrating, and when you're uncomfortable, in pain, or worried about a family member, even a few minutes can seem like an eternity.
In an emergency setting, patients who are the most seriously ill or injured will be cared for first. For this reason, patients are often not treated in the order of their arrival.
Please know that we are committed to seeing all patients in a timely manner. Our staff appreciates your understanding and patience as we evaluate and care for our patients based on the severity of their medical problems. If you feel your symptoms are getting worse while you wait, or if you need to leave the waiting area, please let our staff know.

Why is access to some areas restricted?
In order to provide fast and efficient care for our patients, the door to the Emergency treatment areas remains locked at all times. This keeps traffic flow in the hallways to a minimum so doctors and nurses can care for patients, and it protects the patients’ confidentiality and privacy.

For these same reasons, visitors and patients are asked to stay in the room and not stand in the hallway or doorway.

What are the policies for visitors?
When looking for a patient in the Emergency Department, please check with the triage desk for room numbers. In most cases, two visitors are allowed in the patient's room after the examination and/or procedures are completed. If more family members are present, please ask that one keep the others updated on the patient's condition. Visitors may also take turns staying with the patient. If you have a question or concern about our visitors' policy, please ask a nurse or a patient advocate.

May I use the phone?
In Carrollton, there are phones available for your use close to the lab area.  In the Villa Rica waiting room you may use the tan phone, and at our Bremen location there is a courtesy phone available in the waiting room.  Please limit your telephone calls to five minutes or less and be sensitive to the needs of others in the waiting area.

The use of cellular phones is prohibited in the hospital. These phones may interfere with cardiac monitors and other sensitive equipment, so please turn your phone off when entering the hospital.