Hospitals in Philadelphia have seen emergency department visits and inpatient admissions climb amid this year's closure of Hahnemann University Hospital, healthcare officials confirmed to Becker's Hospital Review.
Hahnemann, also in Philadelphia, closed in early September. The hospital began scaling back services after announcing in June that it would close Sept. 6. The closure was delayed after a bankruptcy judge approved the sale of its residency programs last month.
Amid the Hahnemann closure, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia reported a 15 percent increase in ED visits in the quarter that ended Sept. 30 compared to the same period in the previous year. Inpatient admissions and births also increased, by about 12 percent and 50 percent, respectively in the last quarter, from the same period in the previous year.
Some of the increases may be related to the Hahnemann closure, but recruitment of surgical programs also factored in, Jefferson Health spokesperson Brandon Lausch said.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital has opened more beds to accommodate the boost in admissions and recruited staff from Hahnemann and Thomas Jefferson University, he said.
Temple University Hospital confirmed it has also seen more patients. The hospital's emergency department saw 2,242 more patient visits from July 1 to Sept. 30 than during the same period in 2018, a 9 percent increase, hospital spokesman Jeremy Walter said. During the same period, 934 more patients were admitted through Temple University Hospital's emergency department than the same period in 2018, a 21 percent increase, Mr. Walter said.
"Temple University Health System began preparing for this situation since we first learned about the potential for closure of Hahnemann, and we are prepared to treat additional patients who come to us in the wake of Hahnemann’s announcement," he said.
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