MetroWest Medical Center has come up with its first texting program that will allow patients to check for the ER waiting time before coming to a hospital.

According to a research published in Medical Care Research and Review, patients who are admitted in those hospitals which have the most advanced type of EMRs spend 22.4% less time in the emergency room (ER), as compared to those hospitals which have basic EMR facilities.

The Boston-based hospital has started the service from Aug. 9. The hospital is also hopeful that this new program will boost up its market share and improve the ER services.

Since the start of this service, as many as 450 patients have inquired about the ER waiting time through their mobiles at Framingham Union Hospital and Leonard Morse in Natick.

In the previous week, the normal wait times were 24 minutes and 6 minutes, respectively, for one day.

The wait time is calculated as the time the patients come in the hospital to the time when they consult a doctor.

To know the ER wait time, the patients need to text 63311 to 437-411 and the wait time will be sent back right away.

Chief Executive, Andrei Soran says, “We’re trying to promote better customer service and show people they can be better served by staying [at a hospital] in their own community”.