Item 8C - Narrative
Methodist Southlake Hospital underwent an internal review of their site signage as it relates to
the Emergency Room due to 1) receiving comments from emergency patients and the public
about the lack of visibility of their Emergency Room; 2) requirements related to transitioning
from a commercial hospital to participation in the federally funded Medicare program.
The Emergency Room is located on the east side of the hospital and is not visible from Highway
114, which is a major thoroughfare.
Delay in emergency care due to someone trying to locate the emergency room is unacceptable
and is a Texas Administrative Code compliance issue.
Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, Part 1, Chapter 133, Subchapter 1, Rule 133.163 states:
“An emergency sign shall be provided at the entry from the public road(s) or street(s) serving
the site. The emergency sign at the entry to the site shall be illuminated and connected to the
emergency essential electric system. Additional sign(s) on site may be required to direct
patients to the emergency treatment area entrance when the emergency treatment area is not
visible from the site entry.”
After conducting their review, Methodist Southlake Hospital worked with a wayfinding and sign
company to improve their signs relating to the Emergency Room. These recommendations
bring the hospital into compliance with State Code and supports the federal Emergency Medical
Treatment and Active Labor Act (“EMTALA”).
The following recommendations were made:
1) Add a set of illuminated Emergency letters with an arrow pointing to the Emergency
Room on the façade of the parking garage that faces highway 114.
2) Improve wayfinding to the Emergency Room by adding directional signs leading traffic
to the ER from other parts of the hospital campus.
3) Clearly mark the Main Entrance to the Hospital to distinguish it from the emergency
entrance.
The master sign agreement we have submitted addresses these deficiencies in the emergency
wayfinding and will bring the hospital into compliance with the Texas Administrative Code.