CANANDAIGUA – UR Medicine’s Thompson Hospital recently completed a 12-bed Observation Unit, the first of its kind in the Finger Lakes region.
The $2.1 million project is designed to accommodate patients who require evaluation and treatment for a short period of time. It involved the renovation of an existing area within the hospital by The Pike Companies, LTD. The unit was unveiled at a June 30 ribbon cutting for donors, board members, and health system leaders. It will open to patients on July 12.
Of the more than 27,000 Emergency Department visits at Thompson in 2016, approximately 7 percent resulted in “observation” status. These patients, who come to the Emergency Department following possible strokes or cardiac events, for example, have diagnostic tests run, treatments administered and results analyzed as physicians develop an effective care plan. While waiting, the patients need medical supervision for a period of time, often eight to 23 hours.
Thompson Health President/CEO Michael F. Stapleton, Jr., FACHE, said having observation patients in the dedicated Observation Unit will allow Thompson to free up beds in its
Emergency Department and increase inpatient capacity during peak times, such as flu season. In addition to enhancing patient satisfaction, Stapleton said, the dedicated Observation Unit will shorten the length of stay for some observation patients and allow Thompson to manage its patient load more efficiently.
At the ribbon cutting, Thompson Health Director of Hospital Medicine Dr. Ali Hamdan echoed Stapleton, saying the unit will bring a higher standard of patient-focused care to Thompson.
“Now, patients who are low acuity and low risk will have a quiet, comfortable place – geared specifically toward them – where they can wait for the answers they need before returning in a timely fashion to the comfort of their own homes,” Hamdan said.