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Michigan Hospitals Open Senior Emergency Departments

By Doug Desjardins, for HealthLeaders Media  
   March 16, 2011

With the baby boomer generation aging, the healthcare industry is bracing for a massive increase in elder care and some hospitals are preparing for that influx with emergency departments designed for seniors. 

In Michigan, eight hospitals owned by Trinity Health System now have senior emergency departments. The first opened last summer and seven others rapidly followed.

"We opened the first senior emergency department in July 2010 and by January had them in eight hospitals," said Michele Szczypka, regional chief marketing officer for the St. Joseph Mercy network of hospitals. "And we've had a great response from patients and caregivers and have seen a 10.2% increase in the number of senior patients we serve since they've opened."

The departments are equipped with safety rails that help seniors get around and reduce the risk of falls. The beds have mattresses with pressure-reducing foam to make them more comfortable and large-print signage and over-sized clocks make it easier for seniors with vision problems. Seniors entering the regular emergency departments are given the option of being treated in the senior EDs.

Szczypka said nurses and doctors who staff the departments have all been trained in geriatric care and routinely screen patients for cognitive problems. "We had one patient who was repeatedly coming to our ER to be treated for complications from diabetes," said Szczypka. "And in our senior ED, we discovered it was matter of the patient not properly treating their diabetes. So the departments look for underlying conditions rather than just treat the problem."

The senior EDs range in size from 6 to 12 beds and are now a part of St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, St. Joseph Mercy Brighton, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron, St. Joseph Mercy Saline,  St. Joseph Mercy Livonia, Chelsea Community Hospital, and St. Joseph Mercy Livingston.

Szczypka said the hospital group developed a comprehensive marketing campaign to publicize its senior emergency departments. It has three radio commercials ranging from 15 to 60-second spots and three TV commercials that feature patient testimonials and an overview presented by an emergency department physician. It's also using print advertisements, social media, and billboards to get the message out.

"We used local advertising as each emergency department opened and launched the regional campaign in January," said Sczcypka.

St. Joseph got the idea from Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Springs, MD, which opened its senior ED in 2008. That hospital is also owned by Trinity Health System, which plans to expand the concept to 10 more hospitals in several state by 2013 and has two openings slated for Iowa this year. In addition to delivering enhanced treatment for seniors, the departments are expected to drive patient volume at the hospitals they serve.

"When you talk about marketing hospitals, there's a saying that kind of everybody knows, which is, 'The emergency room is your hospital's front door,'" said Bill Thomas, MD, a geriatric physician who helped developed the first senior ED at Holy Cross Hospital.

Hospitals in other states, including New Jersey, Texas and Kansas, are also testing the concept.

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