Tips For Finding The Best Local Emergency Care

WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- Every year there are more than 115 million Emergency Room visits in this country. The waits can be long and the care unsatisfactory. But there are some things you can do to take charge of your next trip to the ER to make it as short and uneventful as possible.

The first thing you need to do is to determine your needs. Washington Consumer's Checkbook president Robert Krughoff says "The biggest thing when you are trying to find an emergency department is whether you should bee looking for one at all. If you have what seems like a heart attack, or difficulty breathing, or spurting blood, you want to call 911 and let the emergency crew take you to the right place."

If you need to head to the ER for a problem that isn't life threatening, consider certain factors when choosing where you want to get treated. Krughoff says "If it's simple, a couple stitches, you're going to want to go to an emergency department where there's not a long wait. Where it's going to be pleasant. If it's more complex case, then you want to go to a high-quality facility, with a high-quality staff."

Before you head to the emergency room, if possible, ask your primary care physician to call ahead. Krughoff says "it gets them ready for you. It's also a notice to the emergency department that you have somebody in your camp who's going to be following this whole case, so you are going to get better service." Even if you can't get your doctor to call in advance, you can call. That way you'll determine how busy the emergency room is and head to a hospital that can take you quickly.

These are some of top picks for local emergency care from Consumers' Checkbook:

Inova Fairfax Hospital, in Falls Church, Virginia

Suburban Hospital, in Bethesda Maryland

In the District

Washington Hospital Center.

Georgetown University Hospital

George Washington University Hospital