Overcrowding at Billings (Mont.) Clinic's emergency department has forced clinicians to set up patient beds in a conference room and hallways, reports the Billings Gazette.
Billings Clinic, which has a 36-bed ED, is at more than 110 percent capacity. CMO Robert Merchant, MD, said the hospital is caring for the largest number of patients he's seen during his tenure. While ED patient volumes normally fluctuate, the hospital has been facing high patient volumes for three to four weeks.
"We're certainly managing our patients; our patients are getting outstanding patient care," Dr. Merchant told the Billings Gazette. "But this is a situation where this is impacting our flows."
Dr. Merchant and other hospital officials are studying data to better understand what is driving the ED overcrowding, which other level 2 trauma centers in the state are also experiencing.
"As we look at it, it is not any one thing," he told the Billings Gazette. "We're not able to pinpoint what's driving it, which to be honest, makes me a little nervous."