Team of providers pushing patient on gurney blurry

Emergency Department

2283.6 miles away
818-881-0800
844-510-4325
24 hours a day, seven days a week

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please call 911. 

We are here for you

Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center and hospitals across Southern California are experiencing a high volume of COVID patients. Our goal is to ensure everyone receives high-quality, safe care. We are here for you if you feel you need to seek immediate care at our hospital. If you feel you have a life threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1. In the meantime, we hope you shelter in place and if you need to leave your home, please wear a mask, maintain at least six feet social distance and wash your hands frequently.

Emergency Department

24 hours a day, seven days a week

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please call 911. 

We are here for you

Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center and hospitals across Southern California are experiencing a high volume of COVID patients. Our goal is to ensure everyone receives high-quality, safe care. We are here for you if you feel you need to seek immediate care at our hospital. If you feel you have a life threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1. In the meantime, we hope you shelter in place and if you need to leave your home, please wear a mask, maintain at least six feet social distance and wash your hands frequently.

When sudden and severe illnesses afflict you and your family, Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center’s Emergency Department is ready to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our dedicated ER physicians, nurses and specialty staff are trained to respond to any emergency medical situation.

When to use emergency care

It is important for patients to understand that emergency departments are for true emergencies. If you don’t know whether your emergency is life-threatening or not, take the safe approach and come in. However, if you don’t need this high level of care, consider options such as more affordable urgent care or a visit to your general practice physician.

About our physicians

The hospital has contracted with Tarzana Emergency Medical Associates, Inc. to provide physician services in the emergency department. These physicians are independent contractors, not employees of the hospital, who contract separately with healthcare insurers and healthcare plans. As a result, they may not be in the same networks as the hospital. If you have any questions regarding whether these physicians are covered by your insurance, you should contact them directly.

 

Our emergency department includes dedicated treatment rooms available for:

  • Cardiac care
  • Blood tests
  • X-rays
  • Pediatrics
  • Trauma
Registration

The emergency department registration process is designed to obtain all the information needed to identify you, find your previous records, and direct your care. We do our best to make it as simple as possible.

Billing

The hospital has contracted with Tarzana Emergency Medical Associates, Inc. to provide physician services in the emergency department. These physicians are independent contractors, not employees of the hospital, who contract separately with healthcare insurers and healthcare plans. As a result, they may not be in the same networks as the hospital. If you have any questions regarding whether these physicians are covered by your insurance, you should contact them directly.

Triage

It is not uncommon for several patients to arrive at the same time. When this happens our nurses need to "triage" the patients, deciding who is the sickest and needs the most urgent attention. We wish we could take care of everyone immediately. Patient care and safety, however, is our first priority. When we are crowded, the sickest must be treated first. If you or your loved one is not among the "sickest," please know that we are monitoring everyone's condition, and will get to you as soon as possible.

We treat everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

Nursing

Our experienced nurses specialize in emergency care – many have been working in the emergency department for most of their careers. Each day they commit themselves to caring for sick and injured people, specializing in rapid assessment, prompt treatment, and communicating with the physicians, technicians and other staff to make sure each patient receives the care they need. Even though the emergency department is frequently a hectic atmosphere, where every second counts, the nurses continue to perform their most important duties:

  • Keeping you safe
  • Keeping your doctors informed
  • Starting your IV's
  • Administering medications
  • Smiling and being friendly and supportive
Phlebotomy (drawing blood or starting an IV)

There aren't many who are a fan of having their blood drawn. In the Emergency Department, however, blood work may be vital in order to determine your condition and treatment. Our phlebotomists are specially trained just in drawing blood. They do everything possible to make the process comfortable in an uncomfortable situation.

X-ray

In the emergency department, an X-ray may be vital to determine your diagnosis and treatment. Scientists and physicians agree that when imaging is necessary for immediate medical intervention, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

The amount of radiation you receive from an X-ray is very low. According to the Radiological Society of North America, exposure from a chest X-ray is equal to the amount of radiation received in 10 days from everyday sources, such as radon gas in our homes, the sun, and cosmic radiation from outer space. Still, if you fear an X-ray could be harmful, discuss your concerns with your doctor. The radiation exposure from CT scans is significantly higher than from a single X-ray. MRI and ultrasound produce no radiation exposure.

If there is any chance that you are pregnant, be sure you tell any doctor or dentist ordering an X-ray. There is a slight risk that the X-rays will harm your developing child. This is because your child's tissues are growing rapidly, making them more sensitive to radiation than tissues of an adult.

So, for your unborn child's safety, X-rays should not be taken of your abdomen and should be taken of other parts of your body only after you have been fitted with a special shield for your abdomen.

At Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, we understand that even when emergencies are minor, they are still emergencies. This is why we’ve designed the Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME) area specifically to efficiently treat less serious health issues. Our RME is unique because:

  • Unlike an urgent care, our RME is staffed with board-certified emergency physicians, specialists and nationally certified nurses
  • We have efficient service treating less serious health issues such as the flu, sprains or minor injuries
  • You will be seconds away from the main emergency department in the event your condition suddenly worsens and requires a different level of care
  • Provide support and comfort to the patient as best you can. This might mean asking for a blanket, or just talking to your family member.
  • Trust your judgment. Tell the emergency department staff if you think that something is wrong or not going as well as it should. Be polite, but clear and firm, about any problems.
  • Speak up on behalf of your family member. Tell the emergency department staff all they need to know to care for your family member. This includes how to contact your family member's primary care doctor.
  • Speak clearly and use a neutral or friendly (not angry) tone of voice. Make sure to listen as well as talk.
  • Stay calm. Our emergency department staff knows how hard this can be. The best way you can help is by calmly speaking up for your family member's needs. Ask to speak with the doctor, nurse, social worker, or patient representative if you think your family member is not being treated fairly or with enough respect.
  • Do not leave your family member alone. You or someone else should stay with your family member until the emergency department staff decides on a treatment plan. Staff may limit this to just one person, or they may ask you to leave if the ER is very crowded, or if they need to perform a procedure. You can still wait in the waiting room. Ask when and how you should come back in.
  • Tell the staff if your family member is confused, or frightened, or has dementia or Alzheimer's disease. If so, it is extra important that you stay in the ER with your family member. Tell the staff if your family member is hard of hearing, or is nearsighted.
  • Tell the emergency department staff if your family member speaks a language other than English, and if they would feel more comfortable communicating in that language.
  • Write down important information. This includes your questions as well as what the staff says about discharge and medications. It also helps to take notes when the staff gives updates about your family member's health.
  • Stay focused. You are in the ER because your family member needs medical care. Stay focused on what he or she needs, not other events going on in the busy ER.
  • American Heart Association: Get With the Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures Gold Quality Achievement Award
  • Los Angeles Department of Public Health: ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Receiving Center Designation

Awards

U.S. News & World Report 2023-24 High-Performing Hospital for Stroke