Washington Regional Medical Center

ANCILLARY SUPPORT SERVICES: SERVICES OFFERED IN 2023 BY WASHINGTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER INCLUDED SURGERY, RECOVERY, LABOR AND DELIVERY, CENTRAL SUPPLY, IV THERAPY, LABORATORY, RADIOLOGY AND SPECIAL IMAGING, PHARMACY, RESPIRATORY THERAPY, PHYSICAL THERAPY, SPEECH THERAPY AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY. A NUMBER OF THESE SERVICES WERE AVAILABLE AS OUTPATIENT SERVICES. WASHINGTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER ALSO OFFERED DIABETES EDUCATION PROGRAMS, A SLEEP DISORDERS CENTER, A BALANCE DISORDERS CENTER, A WOUND CARE CLINIC, AND OUTPATIENT CARDIOPULMONARY REHABILITATION. WASHINGTON REGIONAL'S SURGERY SERVICE PERFORMED 12,002 INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT SURGERIES IN 2023. THE CENTRAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT PROVIDED OVER 5 MILLION SUPPLY ITEMS TO PATIENTS BEING TREATED. LABORATORY TESTS PERFORMED TOTALED 1,195,940. IMAGING PROCEDURES THAT INCLUDED ITEMS SUCH AS X-RAYS, CT SCANS, ULTRASOUND, CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION, AND NUCLEAR IMAGES TOTALED 150,375 PROCEDURES. WASHINGTON REGIONAL ALSO PERFORMED 7,645 MRI PROCEDURES. THE PHARMACY DISTRIBUTED 12,634,478 ITEMS FOR PATIENTS, AND RESPIRATORY THERAPY PERFORMED TESTS AND TREATMENTS TOTALING 739,109 RELATIVE VALUES. THE WOUND CARE CENTER PERFORMED 15,439 TREATMENTS. PASTORAL CARE, CASE MANAGEMENT, PALLIATIVE/SUPPORTIVE CARE, AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES WERE OFFERED AT NO COST TO PATIENTS. OUR CHAPLAINS, WHO WORKED CLOSELY WITH LOCAL MINISTERS, SERVED AS LIAISONS BETWEEN PATIENTS AND THEIR FAITH GROUPS TO PROVIDE SPIRITUAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT WHEN NEEDED. CASE MANAGEMENT HELPED PATIENTS AND FAMILIES LOCATE COMMUNITY RESOURCES, HOME CARE, AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE WHEN NEEDED AFTER LEAVING THE HOSPITAL. THE PALLIATIVE/SUPPORTIVE CARE TEAM HELPED PATIENTS WITH COMPLEX HEALTH CONDITIONS TO UNDERSTAND AND MANAGE THEIR TREATMENT OPTIONS. VOLUNTEER SERVICES PROVIDED ASSISTANCE TO PATIENTS AND VISITORS THROUGHOUT THE HOSPITAL, MOST NOTABLY AT THE INFORMATION DESK AND IN WAITING AREAS. GENERAL INPATIENT SERVICES: WASHINGTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES TO MEET THE GENERAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. GENERAL INPATIENT SERVICES IN 2023 INCLUDED INTERNAL MEDICINE, GERIATRIC HEALTH, OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY, NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE, CARDIOLOGY, CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY, INTENSIVE CARE, CORONARY INTENSIVE CARE, STROKE CARE, NEUROSURGERY, ONCOLOGY, AND ORTHOPEDICS. ALSO INCLUDED IN GENERAL INPATIENT SERVICES ARE NURSING SERVICES, NURSING EDUCATION, ADMISSIONS SERVICES, MEDICAL RECORDS, QUALITY ASSURANCE, CASE COORDINATION, AND CENTRAL SCHEDULING. WASHINGTON REGIONAL'S WOMEN AND INFANTS CENTER CONTINUED TO SERVE AREA FAMILIES WITH 18 LABOR AND DELIVERY ROOMS, 28 PRIVATE MOTHER-BABY ROOMS, A 34-BED NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AND A DEDICATED PHARMACY. FAMILIES BENEFITED FROM THE ANGEL EYE CAMERA SYSTEM AS WELL AS A MILK LAB STAFFED BY TECHNOLOGISTS SPECIALLY TRAINED IN INFANT NUTRITION. WASHINGTON REGIONAL CONTINUED TO PROVIDE "INTENSIVISTS" - PHYSICIANS WHO SPECIALIZE IN CARING FOR PATIENTS IN THE CRITICAL CARE UNIT. THESE HIGHLY TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED MEDICAL SPECIALISTS COORDINATED THE CARE PROVIDED BY NURSES, RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS AND OTHERS AS NEEDED BY THE PATIENT AND PROVIDED CONTINUOUS CLINICAL ASSESSMENT. IN 2023, WASHINGTON REGIONAL ALSO PROVIDED 26 HOSPITALISTS, PHYSICIANS WHO SPECIALIZE IN CARING FOR HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS, TO OUR COMMUNITY. THEY WORKED AS PARTNERS WITH OUR PHYSICIANS AND NURSING STAFF TO PROVIDE THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF CARE DURING A PATIENT'S HOSPITAL STAY. THIS HANDS-ON APPROACH HAS BEEN SHOWN TO NOT ONLY HELP PREVENT MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS, BUT ALSO TO REDUCE HOSPITAL STAYS AND TO LOWER COSTS. WASHINGTON REGIONAL CONTINUES TO PROVIDE THE AREA'S ONLY NEURO INTENSIVE CARE UNIT, SERVING PATIENTS WHO ARE RECOVERING FROM STROKE, SPINAL CORD INJURY, BRAIN INJURY OR NEUROLOGICAL ILLNESS. WITH 20 PATIENT BEDS, THE NEURO ICU FEATURES ADVANCED NEUROLOGICAL TOOLS SUCH AS CONTINUOUS ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY, DIMMABLE LIGHTS, CEILING-MOUNTED LIFTS FOR REPOSITIONING PATIENTS, BEDSIDE MONITORS AND A NURSE CALL SYSTEM THAT HELPS TO IDENTIFY PATIENTS WITH CERTAIN RISK FACTORS. WASHINGTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER MAINTAINED ITS ADVANCED CERTIFICATION FOR PRIMARY STROKE CENTERS IN 2023, WITH THE HOSPITAL PROVIDING ACUTE STROKE CARE FOR 1,226 COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WITH NEARLY 30% OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS BEING TRANSFERRED TO WASHINGTON REGIONAL FROM ANOTHER HOSPITAL. WASHINGTON REGIONAL IS THE FIRST HOSPITAL IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND ONLY THE SECOND HOSPITAL IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS TO EARN COMPREHENSIVE STROKE CENTER DESIGNATION. THIS PRESTIGIOUS DESIGNATION IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF STROKE CARE CERTIFICATION AWARDED BY THE JOINT COMMISSION AND IS ONLY GIVEN TO HOSPITALS THAT HAVE CAPABILITIES TO TREAT THE MOST COMPLEX STROKE CASES. STROKE PATIENTS AT WASHINGTON REGIONAL HAVE ACCESS TO ADVANCED TREATMENTS WITHOUT HAVING TO BE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER FACILITY, INCLUDING MINIMALLY INVASIVE STROKE TREATMENT OPTIONS, ADVANCED NEUROSURGICAL CARE, ADVANCED IMAGING AND A NEUROSURGICAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT. COMPREHENSIVE STROKE CENTERS OFFER PATIENTS THE BEST CHANCE OF SURVIVAL AND RECOVERY FROM STROKE. TO ACHIEVE THE COMPREHENSIVE STROKE CENTER CERTIFICATION, WASHINGTON REGIONAL UNDERWENT A RIGOROUS ONSITE REVIEW IN WHICH THE JOINT COMMISSION'S EXPERTS EVALUATED COMPLIANCE WITH STROKE STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS. OVERALL, WASHINGTON REGIONAL HAD 15,713 ACUTE ADMISSIONS IN 2023 AND PROVIDED 66,881 DAYS OF INPATIENT ACUTE CARE. THIS INCLUDED 11,934 INTENSIVE CARE DAYS AND CARDIAC CRITICAL CARE DAYS. THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF AN INPATIENT HOSPITAL STAY IN 2023 WAS 4.26 DAYS. THERE WERE 2,579 BABIES BORN AT WASHINGTON REGIONAL IN 2023. EMERGENCY SERVICES: WASHINGTON REGIONAL'S EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PHYSICIANS AND STAFF, BACKED BY THE RESOURCES OF MORE THAN 417 PHYSICIANS ON THE MEDICAL STAFF, PROVIDED MEDICAL SERVICES TO 54,434 PATIENTS IN 2023. WASHINGTON REGIONAL'S EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PROVIDED SERVICES REGARDLESS OF PATIENTS' ABILITY TO PAY. PLUS, WASHINGTON REGIONAL CONTINUED TO PROVIDE 24/7/365 COVERAGE BY A FELLOWSHIP-TRAINED STROKE CARE PROVIDER IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT. AS THE AREA'S ONLY LEVEL II TRAUMA CENTER, WASHINGTON REGIONAL PROVIDED THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF EMERGENCY CARE IN THE NORTHWEST ARKANSAS REGION, RECEIVING TRAUMA PATIENTS FROM ALL SURROUNDING COUNTIES, PLUS AREAS OF OKLAHOMA AND MISSOURI. PHYSICIANS AND STAFF ALSO PROVIDED A PUBLIC SERVICE BY RESPONDING TO MEDIA INQUIRIES AND BY PROVIDING COMMUNITY EDUCATION. THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING CARE FOR AS MANY AS 70,000 PATIENT VISITS ANNUALLY WITH ITS 37 TREATMENT ROOMS.