High quality care, comfort, convenience and privacy were high priorities in designing the new Emergency Department at Methodist Medical Center.

Methodist Medical Center's Emergency Department offers high-quality care, comfort, convenience and privacy. Located on the east end of the hospital, the department has 34 exam and treatment rooms and four chest pain observation rooms.

It also houses an integrated imaging center with a CT scanner. The scanner produces high-resolution, wafer-thin images of a patient's anatomy within seconds, which helps doctors make a diagnosis faster and begin treatment sooner. In addition, the imaging services area has two direct-capture x-ray suites with digital technology to produce images immediately. The computed radiography system in the Emergency Department can be used to take portable x-rays when patients in the emergency department cannot move onto an x-ray table.

A large staff team center in the Emergency Department makes the nursing staff and doctors more accessible to patients and their families. It also helps improve communications. Two state-of-the-art trauma rooms are located directly across from the team center. Glass walls give the staff optimum visibility of patients, and curtains may be drawn when privacy is needed. Each trauma bed has two vertical "headwalls" conveniently located on both sides of the bed to facilitate rapid access by the staff. Headwalls house suction, oxygen, and power outlets, and immediate access to these areas is important when patients are seriously ill or severely injured.

For the convenience of patients and their families, a "greeter" is stationed in the Emergency Department's lobby during peak hours. Patients are asked about their main complaint, and they fill out a brief form. The greeter enters the information into a computer to quickly register the patient, which allows the patient evaluation process to proceed at a faster pace. To enhance privacy, the booths where patients register are enclosed.

The greeter quickly notifies a nurse if a patient requires immediate attention and provides comfort, if needed, and information for the family while the patient waits to be evaluated, undergoes tests and receives treatment.

Other Emergency Department conveniences include:

• Covered entrance for pull-through traffic
• Immediate entry from the parking garage
• Three separate waiting areas
• A vending alcove
• Free parking!

Chest Pain Center

Methodist Medical Center's chest pain observation and treatment unit, located in a quiet section of the Emergency Department, is open 24 hours a day. Patients with chest pain are seen in triage first and then taken to the acute care area of the emergency department, where an initial determination can be made about whether they are actually having a heart attack.

If a patient does not have evidence of a heart attack, he or she can be placed in the Chest Pain Center for extended observation while our healthcare professionals look for more subtle evidence of a heart condition. Blood tests, EKG's and stress tests may be ordered, and pain is monitored.

The Chest Pain Center benefits people in need of immediate attention, helps seriously ill patients get into the hospital system more quickly, and reduces unnecessary hospital admissions.