Alvarado Hospital is a designated full-service facility for the San Diego County Emergency Medical System. Staffed with board-certified emergency medicine physicians and experienced registered nurses, the Alvarado Hospital emergency room (ER) provides immediate access  to the most advanced diagnostic services and lifesaving care. In fact, Alvarado Hospital's ER has one of the lowest wait times in San Diego County.

 

Alvarado Hospital's ER provides advanced care 24 hours a day, seven days a week with several notable designations:

Additionally, the Alvarado Hospital ER is supported by an on-call panel of physicians from every hospital medical and surgical subspecialty. Many of these physicians are nationally and internationally recognized for their expertise.

 

 

As a San Diego County-designated severe heart attack (STEMI) receiving center, Alvarado Hospital ER physicians and nurses coordinate with emergency response personnel to begin life-saving cardiac care before the patient even gets here.

 

This special designation designation is only given to hospitals that have proven their staff can meet stringent standards for cardiac care. Working seamlessly together, the Alvarado Hospital ER and cardiac catheterization (cath) lab teams ensure patients receive an interventional procedure, such as balloon angioplasty, within 90 minutes—or less—of arriving at the ER door. This time frame achieves the best outcomes for heart attack patients. Alvarado Hospital's average door-to-ballon time is 64 minutes.

 

 

Alvarado Hospital recently received the American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^SM–Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes Alvarado Hospital'scommitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment for at least 24 months according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations. Stroke patients arriving at Alvarado Hospital are seen within 20 minutes by a board-certified neurologist. The ER is equipped with a state-of-the-art neuro camera that allows physicians to immediately evaluate the stroke patient and expedite treatment.

 

To be an American Stroke Association Get With the Guidelines hospital means that Alvarado Hospital's stroke care program has demonstrated that it follows the national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients. To receive the Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award, Alvarado Hospital demonstrated 85% adherence in the key measures for 24 or more consecutive months. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol-reducing drugs, and smoking cessation.

 

Furthermore, Alvarado Hospital is one of the few hospitals in San Diego to receive the “Gold Seal of Approval” from The Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers. Only 150 hospitals nationwide have received this exceptional distinction.

 

Spend Hours Waiting? Not At Alvarado

 

With extra staffing and streamlined operations, Alvarado Hospital treats patients faster and more efficiently than any other ER in the area:

For current wait times, click here.

 

 

At Alvarado Hospital, our ER physicians, nurses and staff make every effort to ensure your comfort, including ensuring a shorter wait time. In February 2010, Alvarado Hospital received a Certificate of Achievement from Press Ganey for “statistically significant improvements” in the Inpatient Satisfaction Score for “Likelihood to Recommend Alvarado Hospital to others.”