Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/864048
" We continue to see growth in emergency services, not just at Crouse Health but throughout Syracuse and nationally. Our goal is to provide the right care in the right setting. If someone needs to be admitted quickly, we take them to the emergency department and get them to the appropriate floor in the hospital, and when admission is not necessary, we have a social worker, care coordinator, provider and nurse who work as a unit, making sure patients are referred to the appropriate level of care," • SETH KRONENBERG, MD, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, CROUSE HEALTH new desig n. At their recommendation, a quiet room wa s added for fa m i lies ex periencing distress or loss. In this space, they ca n pray, ma ke telephone ca lls a nd ta ke light refreshments. " It s ay s a lot t h a t ou r employe e s have been w i l ling to cha nge t he way they work to improve ser vices for our patients," O'Connor says. "Cha nge is never ea sy, but our sta f f understa nds the impor ta nce of these updates a nd embraces them." The Pomeroy Emergency Ser v ices Depa r tment represents a new era in t he hos pit a l's more t h a n 1 3 0 yea r s of s er v ic e t o t he c om mu n it y. Wit h Pha se 1 complete, the sta ge is set for new developments a s t he nex t pha se unfolds in 2018. In Phase 2, PromptCare, Crouse's urgent ca re ser vice, will move into a n adjacent space. "The emergency department and urgent care will become one contiguous unit," Dr. Kronenberg says. "We will create a rapid evaluation unit, where we separate high- and low-risk patients. Those with low risk won't have to go through the emergency department but will receive care in a quiet, e©cient setting where they can be treated and discharged sooner." Spa ring patients the debate about whether to visit the emergency depart- ment or wait for a medical appointment, the PromptCare unit will provide fully integrated care, whether patients need a brace for an injury or an evaluation of their chest pain. Physicians in the community will have a single point of referral for urgent and emergent care to a location where experienced nurses and board-certified emergency care physicians can examine and triage each patient appropriately. "Crouse is a community hospital that is loca l ly governed, so when we saw the opportunity to follow our mission of providing the best patient care and promoting community health, we took it, and the community has rallied behind us," Dr. Kronenberg says. "Now, when patients a rrive at the emergency depa r tment, they 'll be triaged immediately; they 'll receive excellent care in the region's most up-to-date, advanced emergency services facility, delivered by professionals who put the patient experience first." Visit crouse.org/takemetocrouse to learn more. ■ * CMS Hospital Compare at Medicare.gov Average ER Wait Times for High-Volume Hospitals Median Time (minutes) Median Time (minutes) 19 Crouse NYS Hospitals National 33 27 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 10-Year Trend – 52.3% Crouse Health ER & Urgent Care Visits 0 9 M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A L N E W Y O R K ■ 2 017