Triage line helps patients navigate emergency care options

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - According to the CDC, nearly 136 million people visit the emergency room every year, and Monument Health’s emergency department sees around 57 thousand visits annually.

But are all those visits truly necessary?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, urgent care is defined as medical care that requires prompt attention but is typically not serious enough to require the services of an emergency room.

“The emergency room is for life-altering or life-changing emergencies. It’s either you could die from what you’re having, or it could significantly change your outcome of life,” said Sheila Long, triage registered nurse at Monument Health.

If you’re unsure about the level of care you need for your symptoms, a simple call to the triage nurses at Monument Health can help point you in the right direction.

“We will assess your symptoms with questions, and sometimes symptoms that may seem mild to you may be more severe than people realize, or vice versa. A symptom that may seem very severe to you may not be as severe in that aspect. We can help determine what level of care you need to get to,” continued Long.

Levels of care range from 911 calls to an ER visit to urgent care or a visit with your provider. When you call triage, they will make sure you get the best care available for your situation.

“We will get all of those different levels when we triage a patient and guide them to their next steps. The reason those are important is because you want to make sure you are getting the right level of care,” Long stated.

If you’re unsure about what your next step should be, you can call the Triage Line at 605-755-1350, Monday through Friday 8 am to 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 4 pm. If you need to call outside of those hours, they say they’ll connect you with an on-call provider.

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