New York (City)-Presbyterian is seeking approval from the state Department of Health to close the 16-bed rehabilitation unit at New York City-based Columbia University Irving Medical Center and transition it to in-patient beds.
The conversion of the unit, located in the hospital's Milstein Hospital Building, is part of an ongoing patient-need and hospital census assessment, a spokesperson for New York-Presbyterian said in a statement shared with Becker's.
"The objective is to help reduce wait times and alleviate crowding in one of New York’s busiest emergency departments, while improving our ability to provide comprehensive care for patients with a range of acute needs," the statement said. "Our patients would continue to have bedside access to evaluations and rehabilitation services as they transition from the hospital to home or a dedicated rehabilitation facility."
A spokesperson for the state health department told Becker's that they have not received a certificate of need from the hospital and cannot provide a comment at this time.