University Hospital Summerville, a 231-bed hospital in Augusta, Ga., is converting its emergency department to an urgent care center by the end of the year, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The hospital said an urgent care center will offer a more appropriate level of care for the service area. A low percentage of patients who present at the hospital's emergency room are admitted and most of the cases should be going to an urgent care or prompt care office instead, University Health Care System CEO Jim Davis told the Savannah Morning News.
"When you look at the cases that are going to the emergency department, only 4 percent of the patients coming there get admitted," Mr. Davis said.
Mr. Davis said ER nurses at the Summerville campus will be transferred to University Hospital in downtown Augusta.
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