Mercy Fairfield’s emergency department volume grew to more than 61,000 visits in 2012. The last emergency department renovation was to add more patient rooms in 2007, from 21 treatment points to 32, according to the hospital.
The new patient bays are designed specifically for patients with minor complaints, such as upper respiratory infection, minor wounds or a sprain, said Dr. Emily Maupin, medical director of the emergency department. These patients are seen by a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant.
The new patient bays are in addition to the already existing more than 30 patient rooms in emergency.
The six new bays will only be used when there is a wait — which is about 10 percent to 15 percent of the time, Maupin said. When there’s no wait, patients go straight to one of the rooms.
But at the busiest times, Mercy Fairfield Hospital wanted to open these new patient bays to see those with the least serious injuries and ailments to cut back on their wait times.
In fact, some waiting room space was used to make room for the new patient bays, Maupin said.
The hospital also put a CAT (Computer Axial Tomography) scanner in the emergency department that it didn’t have before, saving patients who need imaging a trip to radiology.
These improvements are “important so we can see patients quicker, get to treat their illnesses or their injuries more quickly,” Maupin said.
On Thursday “I had a patient that came in with a possible stroke with the (ambulance),” she said. “I could rapidly assess them and take them to the CAT scan and get that scan they need of their head.”
Hospitals throughout the area are focusing on patient wait times and satisfaction. Hospital officials often call emergency rooms the hospital’s front door, as it’s usually the way most patients are admitted to the hospital.
The number of emergency department visits has also been rising over time.
“Since early 2000, there has been about a 1.6 percent increase yearly in emergency room visits” across the country, Maupin said. “We’re seeing more people and they tend to be sicker.”
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