Since opening its doors in June 2020, NW Indiana ER & Hospital in Hammond has sought to provide Region residents with affordable and quality healthcare. Of all the services that NW Indiana ER & Hospital offers, perhaps one of the most significant is its efficient diagnostic imaging process. Whereas patients at other hospitals and emergency rooms might have to wait hours or even days for their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan, ultrasound, or x-ray results, patients of NW Indiana ER & Hospital typically receive their results within an hour of being tested.
Jessica Hubbard, director of business development at NW Indiana ER & Hospital, considers the hospital’s rapid turnaround on diagnostic imaging results to be a defining aspect of its care.
“NW Indiana ER & Hospital was created to make effective emergency care accessible to everyone in the area,” Hubbard said. “Our goal is to help our patients feel better as soon as possible so they can enjoy their lives to the fullest. Our patients are not just numbers to us; they’re family. Everyone matters and deserves to have quality of life.”
Patients with an order for a diagnostic imaging test from their doctor can set up an appointment with NW Indiana ER & Hospital to have the test done. Alternatively, patients can register in the hospital’s emergency room and receive an order for a diagnostic imaging test from a NW Indiana ER & Hospital physician. The hospital accepts medical insurance and offers cash pricing options as well. In Hubbard’s view, NW Indiana ER & Hospital is uniquely suited to providing the Region’s residents with reliable and efficient care.
“The fact that we’re a micro hospital is an advantage,” Hubbard said. “Our small size makes it possible for us to give patients their diagnostic imaging results so quickly. In some cases, a long wait in a hospital emergency room can be very detrimental to a patient’s health. At NW Indiana ER & Hospital, we start our diagnostic imaging right away so we can provide patients with the test results within an hour. Our physicians can then speak with the patient one-on-one about their results, answer any questions they might have, and recommend a specialist for them to consult.”
While Hubbard recognizes that some patients may have to drive a longer distance to get to NW Indiana ER & Hospital, she believes that the care they will receive there is well worth it. She points out that, while other hospitals might be closer, patients may end up waiting two hours at these hospitals before being examined. Hubbard has had several opportunities to experience the efficiency and quality of NW Indiana ER & Hospital’s care firsthand.
“My boyfriend had a health issue at 2:30 in the morning one day, so we went to NW Indiana ER & Hospital to get him a CAT scan,” Hubbard said. “He was scanned, his results were reviewed, and we were given an appropriate care plan all within three hours, which I consider to be a huge win. My daughter recently had an ultrasound done there as well, and we were in and out of there in an hour and 20 minutes. I also went in for an MRI, and I got my results and a referral to a specialist within 25 minutes. Our staff’s efficiency and level of expertise really sets our hospital apart. I feel confident knowing that patients experiencing an emergency will receive the same amazing care that my family has.”
Hubbard is pleased with all of the progress that NW Indiana ER & Hospital has made in the short time that has passed since its founding.
“We may not be a big name in the Region yet, but we are definitely holding our own when it comes to competing with larger hospitals that have been in this area for decades,” Hubbard said. “For example, NW Indiana ER & Hospital was voted Best Hospital in ‘Northwest Indiana Times’ Best of the Region’ award for the past four years in a row. To go from nobody knowing who we were when we first opened to winning Best Hospital for all four years of our existence has been both humbling and rewarding. It's awesome to know that the community is supporting us.”
Please visit nwindianaer.com for more information about the services and care that NW Indiana 24/7 ER & Hospital offers its patients.
