Emergency care at Sky Ridge Medical Center

Emergency room (ER) in South Denver

Accidents happen, but when a medical emergency arises, you deserve advanced care as quickly as possible. At Sky Ridge Medical Center, our ER doctors are available 24/7 to provide prompt care to ensure you receive high-quality treatment when you need it most.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.

Expert emergency care

Our ER is committed to providing high-quality emergency care to the Denver area. Open 24/7, our team of specialists are standing by to deliver continued care before, during and after your emergency.

Our ER is designed to provide efficient, effective care that includes:

• A helipad for AirLife Denver medical transports
• A special ER for children
• Board-certified emergency medicine doctors on-site 24/7
• Direct access to our two cardiac catheterization "cath" labs
• Experienced emergency nurses
• Intensivist coverage 24/7
• Level II Trauma Center
• Rapid access to specialists for orthopedic emergencies
• Spine surgery expertise
• State-of-the art diagnostic equipment

We also have dedicated teams prepared to initiate immediate and advanced care for:

• Cardiac alerts
• Sepsis alerts
• Stroke alerts
• Trauma alerts

ER services

To ensure you receive the care that is right for you, we offer the following specialties at our ER:

24/7 pediatric ER

Should you need answers to your after hours questions, First Call® for Children is here to help from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., Monday through Friday and 24 hours on weekends and holidays. For more information, call us at (303) 563-3000.

Pediatric inpatient unit

If your child gets admitted to Sky Ridge Medical Center after being seen in our pediatric ER, our pediatric inpatient unit provides continuity of care and serves as a safe, fun and comfortable place to heal.

We offer children staying with us at Sky Ridge direct access to pediatric experts from a wide range of specialties, from cardiology and ENT to orthopedics and neurology.

For more information about our pediatric inpatient unit, please call (720) 225-5362.

Emergency heart care

When it comes to a heart attack, time is muscle. The more time the heart is deprived of blood and oxygen, the more muscle tissue is lost. To provide quick diagnosis and treatment for patients experiencing cardiac medical emergencies, we have initiated the Cardiac Alert® program with our community emergency medical services (EMS). Once the EMS providers initiate a cardiac alert, Sky Ridge's cardiac team begins to prepare for the patient's treatment. Our program helps save time and provides heart attack patients with rapid medical care as soon as they arrive.

Level II Trauma Center

Our emergency physicians, physician assistants, pediatricians and nurses are specially trained in advanced life-support and emergency treatment. We work in partnership with first responders to ensure seamless care is provided to every patient. As a Level II Trauma Center, we are ready to treat patients with traumatic injuries 24/7.

In addition to providing trauma care, we strongly believe in injury prevention and educating the community on safety. Learn more about how to prevent traumatic injuries for you and your loved ones.

Opioid safety program

As opioid addiction and overdoses continue to affect communities across the U.S., Sky Ridge Medical Center ER, is changing the way we treat pain.

Many opioid prescriptions start in the ER, which is why our opioid safety program aims to find alternative ways to treat patients in pain. The ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of overdoses due to opioids and find new ways for patients to heal.

When to go to the ER

If you have a condition that, without treatment, may cause you serious discomfort or complications, go to the closest ER as soon as possible.

Symptoms or conditions that should be treated in an ER include:

• Abdominal pain
• Behavioral health emergencies
• Broken bone
• Chest pain
• Concussion or head trauma
• Heart attack
• Open wounds
• Severe allergic reaction
• Stroke (cerebrovascular accident)
• Trouble breathing

For more information, you can also view our guide on when to go to the ER.

ER vs urgent care?

Figuring out whether you or a loved one needs emergency care or urgent care may not be easy, especially if symptoms appear serious.

Urgent care centers typically provide treatment for commonplace sicknesses and injuries, such as flu symptoms and ankle sprains. Most urgent care clinics, however, are not able to treat some of the more serious conditions listed above.

If you are unsure if you need to go to the ER, review our helpful guide on when to go to an ER or urgent care.

To find out our average ER wait times, text “ER” to 32222.

Emergency care FAQs

Here is a list of common questions pertaining to our ER:

What insurance do you accept?

We accept most insurance providers and welcome Kaiser Permanente members. Any and all patients will receive a medical screening exam regardless of their insurance status. For patients who have insurance but do not have access to their insurance information, we can arrange payment after their visit without causing delays in care.

Will I be examined by a physician?

All patients are seen either by an ER physician or a physician’s assistant (sometimes in conjunction with the ER physician). Pediatric patients are examined by pediatricians.

Will I need to change into a gown?

We ask that patients in the ER change into a gown unless you are here for a minor injury or illness. This allows our team to properly assess you and offer the highest quality care.

What type of testing will be done?

We have access to advanced medical treatments and technologies, including diagnostic lab testing, advanced radiographic images and pharmaceutical agents. Your test will depend upon your physician’s initial exam and diagnosis.

How long will my visit take?

It takes approximately two hours to receive diagnostic results from the time they were requested (i.e., lab specimens, X-ray images) and approximately one to three hours to coordinate further treatment if you are to be admitted.

If I am discharged, how should I follow up?

All discharged patients receive referral information for their primary care provider or specialist. If you don’t have a primary care physician, we are happy to offer you complimentary referrals. This information can be found on your discharge instructions. If your symptoms increase or worsen, you should consider returning to the ER as your condition might have changed.

What should I do with my medication?

If you do not have a detailed list of your medications, please inform our staff of medications you are currently taking. If you have your medications with you, we will prepare a thorough medication list and ask that you take your medications home, or we will secure them for you.

If admitted, will I be seen by my primary care provider?

Not necessarily. Some physicians use hospitalists to see their patients while they are hospitalized. Please be assured that all pertinent information related to your visit will be provided to your primary care provider unless otherwise specified.

Call I keep my cell phone and other electronic devices?

Absolutely. However, we ask that you limit distraction when your healthcare team is interacting with you.