Published: Synapse 2013, Vol. 1
When the new 24-bed Telemetry floor of the Tower opens this July, the added room capacity will have a direct impact on patients seeking care at the Hospital's dynamic Emergency Department, which is often the front door for many people who are ultimately admitted to Telemetry for heart monitoring. The expansion of the Telemetry unit will be quickly followed by and complemented by enhancements to the Emergency Department (ED), which was made possible by several generous donors to The Chester County Hospital Foundation.
The Hospital invited consultants from Penn State Hershey Medical Center to examine all aspects of the ED. The Hospital is now implementing an innovative model of care that combines the highest level of emergency treatment with unmatched efficiencies and customer service. At the core of the recommendations is a process called Physician Directed Queuing (PDQ).
Walk-in patients will see an ED physician or physician assistant for initial assessment in a Rapid Treatment Area upon their arrival.
Betty Brennan, RN, EdD, CNML, Director of Emergency Department says, "The consultants predict PDQ will reduce the total wait times by 77% and the average patient stay in the ED by 53%. This would allow us to treat roughly 9,000 more patients each year. We currently see more than 40,000 people every year."
To facilitate the transition to this model, the Hospital, with philanthropic support from a number of generous donors, is investing more than $5 million to reconfigure and enhance the ED.
With PDQ, one of the essential elements to improve patient flow and reduce length of stay is the diagnostic testing and results process. A local family foundation, with an interest in funding specific pieces of equipment, has generously provided philanthropic support to purchase more than $565,000 worth of technology that will speed specimen collection, expedite lab results, and enhance safety and quality.
Another private family foundation made an extraordinarily generous donation of $2.5 million to fund the ED renovation. This will enhance the patient experience from the front door to an ED patient bed, and then onto admission or discharge. This transformation will occur over the next year.
Finally, the Hospital administration has always been particularly grateful for the long-standing dedication of the Women's Auxiliary, which pledged $500,000 toward this ED project. Through its numerous annual fundraising efforts, the 500-women-strong group demonstrates year after year that goals can be attained when you are fueled by a vision to help others.
The result of the overwhelming generosity by these donors as well as Oscar and Vivian Lasko (see page 8), the ED enhancements to our facilities will ensure that The Chester County Hospital continues to provide the highest quality of care in a patient-centered environment to all members of the community who walk through its doors for care.
Here are some of the new enhancements coming to the Emergency Department.
- Sunquest Collect ion Manager System™
- GE MA C 5500 EKG Machine with MUSE Wireless Capabilities
- Digital Census Equipment
- Computerized Physician Order Entry devices
- Swipe Card Access
To learn how you can support the Foundation, call 610.431.5108.