Madison, Wis.-based UnityPoint Health Meriter Hospital has reduced wait times in the emergency department for patients with the implementation of a new admissions unit, a UnityPoint Health spokesperson told Becker's.
The 350-bed hospital's admissions unit is staffed by nurses and providers who have particular expertise in admission decisions. It opened in July to pilot its use and since then has served more than 1,900 patients, according to a March 6 news release shared with Becker's.
"This is a dedicated unit to get a patient's care started earlier," Kristin O'Dell, MD, hospitalist director at UnityPoint Health Meriter stated in the release. "We're able to do that because this unit specializes in admissions, and having a team dedicated to and experienced in the admissions process is a game-changer for efficient and valuable care."
The unit has helped around five patients per week avoid full emergency care visits entirely, allowing them to be treated on the admissions unit, which can see between four and eight patients at a time all within a max turnaround time of about six hours, and then return home.
An additional five beds will be added to the unit in the coming months, so it can expand to serve 13 patients at a time.
While the new unit is not within the emergency department, patients can be referred to it.
"This unit has helped enhance our patients' experience and can help contribute to the overall better health of our community," Liz Nelson, MSN, director of patient care at the hospital stated in the release.