In just a few short months, we will be celebrating the official opening of the new Genesis Hospital. Construction of the new Genesis Hospital began with a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2013, and will be complete in May 2015. The new hospital is being built on the site of Genesis-Bethesda Hospital, and will feature a new patient care addition attached to the existing renovated Bethesda building. It has been an exciting time as we prepare to come together as one hospital. Although Genesis-Good Samaritan Hospital will no longer exist, the campus around it will remain part of our future. Physician and administrative offices will be located on the campus, and there may be other uses for the land in the coming years. The area around Good Samaritan will continue to be called the Genesis Adair Avenue Campus. The end result will be a single, expanded, and modern medical center. 

The total project cost was estimated at $200 million to completely revamp Genesis-Bethesda Hospital. The new facility will reduce annual operating cost by $15-18 million, and will bring in about $40 million worth of new medical equipment. With the completion of this project, as well as our new state-of-the-art technology and design, we expect to draw regional patients from at least six surrounding counties.

EP Lab

The current biplane EP lab, which opened in September 2009, has improved the quality of life for patients in our community by helping to decrease mortality, the use of medication, and the risk of stroke and heart attack. Community members with cardiac arrhythmia need only travel a few minutes to receive top quality, award-winning cardiac care.

The spacious new lab located in the new facility was designed specifically for the needs of our Director of Electrophysiology, Dr. Magdy Migeed, as well as our team and patients. The new lab will be equipped with the most advanced technology including Biosense Webster’s SmartTouch and Univu, and Physio-Control’s 360-joule LIFEPAK defibrillator. This advanced technology will support procedures such as a wide variety of ablations and device management.The new  lab represents a higher level of comprehensive cardiac care for the surrounding region.

The EP lab benefits from Biosense Webster’s Carto 3D mapping system used during ablation procedures, which enables Dr. Migeed to create a 3-dimensional model of the heart to better visualize the source and path of the arrhythmia as well as the position of the catheters inside the heart, allowing for precise placement of the ablation points to target the appropriate tissue. Updating the software of this 3D mapping system to the newest technology enables us to deliver care in a way that enhances patient safety and reduces procedural times and fluoro exposure. 

This facility/lab was specifically designed to meet the patient’s needs. Every decision made was to improve the patient experience. 

Patient Experience

As we plan the transition to our new facility, in addition to moving equipment and starting procedures, we also wanted to focus on the family waiting experience. The new waiting room will include radiant lighting and new furniture and will be located close to the procedure area. The planning for the new facility has been focused on flow and function of procedure rooms and quality of care. The primary consideration is to deliver high quality, efficient treatment to patients with a variety of heart rhythm disorders. Since many of our procedures are now done as outpatient or same-day procedures, we wanted the experience to be a positive one for both the patients and their families. With the addition of the family waiting area, we are able to keep family members nearby and informed of the patient’s progress. This experience can contribute significantly to overall satisfaction.

Waiting rooms are often not appealing; they are filled with nervous, anxious, depressed, or even sick family members. Instead of the waiting room adding to the stress of being in a hospital and waiting on news, we wanted to help relieve the stress. The waiting room should be a place where families feel at ease. Therefore, it was important for us to create a spacious, calming, and comfortable place for friends and family to gather while they wait. 

The waiting area is a place that patients and families look for information. We wanted to make sure that patients’ families are well taken care of and informed about their loved ones’ progress before, during, and after the procedure. When the patient is checked in for their procedure, the family checks in with the waiting room customer service representative. A name and number of one of the family members is recorded on a clipboard so they can be contacted with updates about their loved one. The family will also receive a restaurant-style pager so they can leave the area and be sure not to miss any updates. While families wait, we will offer several activities to fill their time, such as education, current magazines, etc. The entire building also offers Wi-Fi for their convenience. Volunteers will come around periodically to offer cookies and fruit. Family Care Cards have also been created for all cardiovascular procedures; this card provides estimated procedure times for each of the cardiovascular procedures performed at Genesis Hospital.

The EP lab staff has shown an interest in wanting to help update the families of their patients. The EP team is aware of the lengthy setup and procedure time while the patient is away from their family — this time makes families uneasy and anxious. The EP lab staff currently works with the family waiting room customer service representative to provide updates on the progress of the procedure, from start to finish. Our goal in the new facility will be to continue this practice. When the procedure is complete, the family waiting room customer service representative will be notified. At that time, the family will be escorted to a private consultation room. The attending physician will meet with them to explain the procedure and outcome in a quiet, private setting. Technology will be available in those consultation rooms for the physicians to share pictures from the procedure and explain medical information to the family in detail. Once the physician is finished talking to the family, the customer service representative will then direct them to that patient’s assigned room to be reunited with their loved one shortly after the procedure. 

Summary

As May 2015 approaches, we are getting more and more energized about the move. This will be an exciting time for everyone in the community to see the transformation of Genesis Hospital. 

For more information on Genesis, please see our Spotlight Interview from our January 2013 issue: www.eplabdigest.com/articles/Genesis-HealthCare-System