HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — The emergency department at Sentara CarePlex in Hampton has gone vertical — a care model the hospital system promises will make the process faster and more efficient for patients and staff. Going to the emergency room can be frustrating, especially if your injury or illness isn't as serious as someone else's. You could wait for hours. With the vertical care model, you'll be assessed right away. If your illness or injury does not require you to lie in a bed, you'll have a seat. "And they're sitting in a chair here that reclines," said Emergency Physician Dr. Shaun Reynolds. "So, it's fairly comfortable. They can get their labs and the imaging that they need done right away — and their meds." It's creating more bed space and clearing hallways in a time when patients have been crowding emergency departments nationwide. "We had a period of time where we were treating patients in the hallway," said Sentara CarePlex nurse and emergency department manager Ashley Lee. "We had to squeeze between stretchers in the hallways and around people, possibly in recliners in the hallways." Lee said patients were spending an average of three hours in the emergency department. Since they opened the new unit last month, Lee said they haveshaved off about 15 minutes. "In the month of October, we saw a little over 5,000 patients," Lee said, "so 15 minutes off of 5,000 patients is quite a bit of time saved ... in patient care, and we give that time back to the staff to care for other patients." That is also a win, Reynolds said, for hospital staff. Since COVID, it has been experiencing high burnout rates. "It is a help with our staff morale because our patients are happier," Reynolds said. "And so, that makes our staff happier." Sentara began rolling out the vertical care model in 2016. Hampton CarePlex is Sentara's sixth hospital to make the change. There are plans to implement it in all 17 Sentara emergency departments.