WESTCHESTER-ELLENVILLE HOSPITAL INC

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT:ELLENVILLE REGIONAL HOSPITAL COMPLETED AN EMERGENCY ROOM DEPARTMENT PROJECT IN 2021. WE EXPANDED THE CURRENT SPACE BY ADDING STATE-OF-THE-ART CARDIAC MONITORS AND NEGATIVE PRESSURE ISOLATION ROOMS. ERH'S EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OFFERS A VITAL SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. A RURAL SETTING CAN MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR RESIDENTS TO ACCESS HIGH-QUALITY EMERGENCY CARE. BY COMBINING QUALITY CARE, EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH, EXCELLENT NURSING SKILLS, AND EXPANDING OUR CLINICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS, THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AT ERH FOCUSED ON IMPROVING PATIENT OUTCOMES ACROSS THE CARE SPECTRUM. AS A RESULT, OUR FACILITY COLLABORATES WITH OTHER AGENCIES AND PROVIDES QUALITY, COMPASSIONATE CARE.IN 2021, 11,624 PATIENTS RECEIVED TREATMENT IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AT ELLENVILLE REGIONAL. WE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE EXCELLENT CARE MORE EXPEDIENTLY THAN OTHER EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OUR 2021 AVERAGE FOR ARRIVAL TO TRIAGE WAS A STELLAR THIRTEEN (13) MINUTES.ADDITIONALLY, THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY WAS 122 MINUTES. THESE REMARKABLE TURNAROUND TIMES DERIVE FROM OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF DEDICATED ED PROVIDERS, NURSES, PATIENT CARE TECHNICIANS, AND REGISTRATION, LAB, AND RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENTS STAFF. THE TEAM'S PRIMARY DRIVER IS TO PRIORITIZE AND ADDRESS PATIENT NEEDS IN THE COMMUNITY TO OPTIMIZE OUTCOMES.WHILE MANAGING THE LASTING EFFECTS OF THE COVID PANDEMIC, WE CONTINUE FOCUSING ON THE OPIOID CRISIS. OUR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT'S RESCUE INITIATIVE HAS REMAINED IN EFFECT AND GENERATES VERY POSITIVE OUTCOMES. THE ED PROVIDERS ARE CERTIFIED TO PROVIDE MAT (MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT). MAT HAS DRAMATICALLY FACILITATED THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS PRESENTING TO THE ED AFTER AN OVERDOSE. WE HAVE CONTINUED OUR COLLABORATION EFFORTS WITH THE ULSTER COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT IN THE ORACLE PROGRAM AND UTILIZE THE SERVICES OF OUR IN-HOUSE SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD) PROGRAM. OUR COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS HAVE HELPED WITH THE INDUCTION OF MAT AND SECURING INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT REHABILITATION SERVICES FOR THOSE IN NEED.WE ALSO CONTINUED TO WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR LOCAL EMS AGENCIES. IN 2021, ERH PROVIDED LOCAL EMS PROFESSIONALS WITH MEDICAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE MANAGEMENT OF PEDIATRIC EMERGENCIES.TO CONTINUE TO MITIGATE COVID- 19 RISKS, WE ENGAGED OUR STAFF VIA ZOOM MEETINGS. WE HELD EDUCATION SESSIONS PERIODICALLY TO ENSURE ALL STAFF WAS UP-TO-DATE ON EMERGING ISSUES AND TREATMENT REQUIREMENTS.

RADIOLOGY:IN 2021, ERH'S RADIOLOGY & CARDIOLOGY DEPARTMENTS STARTED THE YEAR WITH OUTPATIENT MODALITIES OVER-EXCEEDING OUR USUAL NUMBERS FROM THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. EVEN WITH THE SPIKES IN COVID-19, WHICH WOULD FLUCTUATE RAPIDLY, WE CONTINUED TO HOLD CONSISTENT WITH OUR VOLUMES. MANY STAFF MEMBERS WOULD CONTRACT COVID PERIODICALLY, MAKING IT CHALLENGING TO OPERATE. STILL, ULTIMATELY, WE HELD STRONG AND WERE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH OUR PATIENT DEMAND AND CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SERVICES WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OR DELAY.MAMMOGRAPHY HAD ITS ANNUAL MQSA INSPECTION COMPLETED WITH NO CITATIONS. WE CONTINUED OUR REDUCED X-RAY REPEAT/REJECT RATE, WHICH AVERAGED ABOUT 3% OVER THE YEAR. THIS CONTINUED REDUCTION IN RECURRENCES ALLOWED US TO PROVIDE OUR PATIENTS WITH THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CARE.FOR NUCLEAR MEDICINE, ERH PURCHASED A NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART NUCLEAR CAMERA THAT ALLOWED US TO OFFER A HIGHER LEVEL OF NUCLEAR IMAGING, WHICH GROSSLY BENEFITS OUR PATIENTS AND THE COMMUNITY.WE ALSO ACQUIRED A NEW ECHO MACHINE TO IMAGE PATIENTS' HEARTS WITH MORE CLARITY AND IMPROVED DIAGNOSTIC ABILITIES. THESE NEW MACHINES ARE TIED TOGETHER WITH CERTAIN EXAMS AND ARE A HUGE ASSET TO OUR OUTPATIENT SERVICES. THE PURCHASE OF THESE MACHINES HAS ELEVATED OUR OUTPATIENT OFFERINGS TO A HIGHER STANDARD. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE SERVICE CONTRACTS, WHICH INCLUDE APPLICATION SUPPORT ON ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT. IF A TECHNOLOGIST HAS ANY ISSUE WITH THE EQUIPMENT, THEY HAVE IMMEDIATE SERVICE ACCESS, INCLUDING GUIDANCE ON NEW PROTOCOLS OR EVEN USING SPECIAL FEATURES ON THE MACHINES.ERH CONTINUED TO EXPAND ON THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GRANT, AWARDED TWO YEARS PRIOR. WITH THIS GRANT, ERH PERFORMED AN OUTSTANDING 590 EXAMS IN 2021. OFFERING THE EXAMS AT NO OUT-OF-POCKET COST TO PATIENTS HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL, WITH MANY PATIENTS RECEIVING CRUCIAL FOLLOW-UP CARE BASED ON THE TEST RESULTS. MANY OF THE CALCIUM SCORE PATIENTS HAVE BEENFIRST-TIME PATIENTS AT ERH. MANY PATIENTS HAVE RETURNED FOR OTHER OUTPATIENT SERVICES DUE TO THE HIGH LEVEL OF CARE AND REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE.OVERALL, RADIOLOGY AND CARDIOLOGY POSITIONED THEMSELVES TO HAVE A STRONG 2022 WHILE KEEPING PATIENTS AND STAFF HEALTHY AND SAFE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO OFFER THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CARE AND OBTAIN THE NEWEST EQUIPMENT TO PROVIDE THE BEST SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.