Golden Sun eXtra Your Local News Source, Mohave County, AZ

Valley View Medical Center has announced several expansions to its emergency department designed to improve patient wait and treatment times. The multi-million dollar projects will include a new approach to patient flow as well as both building and staffing expansion.

The first phase is known as “Physician First.” After emergency room patients receive a basic assessment by a triage nurse, a physician, physician’s assistant or family nurse practitioner will conduct a more detailed exam. This is expected to speed up the process for ordering laboratory tests, X-rays, CT scans and other diagnostic tests. That physician will determine if more serious care is needed by the primary emergency department physician. Patients with less serious issues will be cared for in Valley View’s new “Minor Care” program, designed to treat and release adults and children whose medical issues are not extensive. The second physician will be added during peak times, primarily from late morning to late evening. Patients arriving by ambulance will be unaffected by the “Minor Care” program.

The second phase expansion will be the addition of new emergency department patient rooms and state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment. Those details are expected to be announced shortly.

“Valley View’s emergency department patient satisfaction scores are already among the highest in the area,” said CEO Allen Peters. “When you hurt, minutes can seem like hours. We’ve listened to our patients and the community about what they’d like to make a great hospital even better. That’s where the ‘Physician First’ concept comes in.”

Dr. Tressa Naik, Valley View’s medical director of emergency services, expects “Physician First” and “Minor Care” to be fully operational later this month. Those services are being phased in now.

“We’ve hired additional staff including ‘physician extenders’ - physician assistants and family nurse practitioners,” Naik said. “This should result in quicker and more efficient treatment of many patients.”

Hospital officials noted that there may always be times when an influx of patients, the seriousness of conditions or the sudden arrival of ambulances may impact wait times in both the ER lobby and ER examination rooms.

The announcement follows the recent opening of a portion of Valley View’s new multi-million dollar wing housing additional labor and delivery, acute rehabilitation and acute care rooms. The hospital’s new pediatric unit is expected to open by Valley View’s fifth anniversary later this fall. Valley View will soon be a 90-bed all private room acute care medical center with two adjacent medical office buildings and an on-campus rehabilitation complex. Valley View was recently voted the number one medical facility in the area. It is part of LifePoint Hospitals, Inc., a leading hospital company dedicated to providing quality healthcare in non-urban communities.

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