The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Midstate Medical seeks to add beds
Citing a “significant increase in volume,” Meriden’s Midstate Medical Center is hoping to grow its capacity by 16 beds in single patient rooms, bringing the hospital’s total capacity to 172 beds.
If approved by the state Office of Health Strategy, the project will occupy space near the pharmacy, and should be completed by October 2025 at a cost of $8.4 million.
“The hospital has been consistently operating at occupancy levels above industry standards impeding its ability to respond to unforeseen surges in volume as experienced during the recent COVID-19 pandemic,” Midstate officials wrote in their application to expand, filed with OHS, the state regulatory agency. “As a result of strained capacity, the hospital has experienced an increase in admitted patients boarding in the emergency room as they wait for a bed to become available.”
The need for more beds, according to hospital officials, has been demonstrated by the number of patients spending more than four hours in the emergency room. That number rose from 1,610 patients in 2020 to 3,704 patients in 2022, and is expected to exceed 4,500 patients by the end of fiscal year 2023.
The $8.4 million capital cost will go to creating 16 single-patient rooms, all intended for oncology patients who, according to the hospital’s application, are currently scattered around the facility.
“Right now a terminally ill cancer patient may be next door to a patient celebrating a successful knee replacement; two very different experiences that would be better off being in separate locations,” the application states. “There are operational workflow efficiencies to be gained but also a big impact on patient experience.”
Hartford HealthCare is the parent company for Midstate Medical. Gary Havican, Hartford HealthCare senior vice president and central region president, said the addition of beds at the Meriden hospital is in response to an increasing number of patients seeking care at Midstate, “in particular, patients seeking care for oncology, general medicine and surgery.”
“Adding beds will have a significant impact on patient experience with shorter wait times in the emergency department and more timely access to diagnosis and treatment,” Havican said. “This proposal will reduce the need to hold patients in the emergency room and will result in more efficient treatment for patients.”
Health care facilities must file a “certificate of need” with the state before making any major changes to their services or facilities. Midstate filed a CON application for the project July 27, 2023. As of Nov. 15, the state deemed the application complete and agreed to allow the process to move forward.
A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 17.
According to its application Midstate Medical has been operating at more than 100 percent capacity on occasion, with an average of 86 percent capacity in fiscal year 2022. The proposed unit would be intended for oncology patients.
“The National Guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Human Services set an overall 80 percent occupancy rate as the standard for community hospitals,” MidState wrote in its application.