Features

WAH "Minor treatment area" works to provide quality care regardless of insurance, immigration status

by Pamela Manning

In response to the growing demand for non-emergency care experienced by the Emergency Department (ED) at Washington Adventist Hospital, a special care area is in place there to speed, or "fast track", the treatment of minor ambulatory health problems such as earaches, sore throats, sprains and bruises.

Also known as the Mobile Treatment Area, this service is only for patients who are basically able to walk themselves in and out of the ED. A tour revealed that treatment equipment for specific illnesses and injuries are placed on wheeled carts: the "suture cart", the "ortho cart". This increases the flexibility of where in patients and equipment can be brought together when the ED becomes crowded, making the treatment areas potentially mobile themselves.

According to Rob Jepson, spokesperson for Washington Adventist Hospital, the Minor Treatment Area was set up to ensure that all patients are seen in the emergency department more quickly.

Caring for everyone

The term ‘all patients’ includes those with and without insurance coverage, as well as those with only partial coverage. Hospital statistics reflect that of the nearly 45,000 people seen in the Emergency Department each year, approximately one in three have no health insurance at all. This helps explain the use of the ED as a main source of primary care for indigent patients in the community: the medical treatment offered in the ED may be the only care available for many.

Jepson emphasizes that the hospital’s Emergency Department is intended as "a safety net for those in the community who do not have access to health insurance." The hospital "takes seriously its responsibility to provide care for those who would otherwise be left without."

These statements are supported by financial facts. An independent study showed that Washington Adventist provided over $17 million in uncompensated care during a recent one-year period, making it the leading provider of free care in Montgomery County. This figure also represents more than 10% of the hospital’s net operating revenue — again, the highest percentage out of the five Montgomery County hospitals.

How do they do it? Hospital spokesperson Lynn Meyers says, "We run a tight ship."

Diverse populations served

Weekend emergency technician Luis Tassara estimates that 75-80 percent of patients treated for minor heath problems are from the Latino community. Spanish speakers are on staff, and interpretation services are available. Tassara reports that he does "a lot of translating."

The hospital’s website notes that immigration status is not reported in emergency and life-threatening situations. When asked about reporting of patients with non-urgent health issues who may be of illegal immigrant status, Jepson noted that this is "an issue that is nearly impossible for us to police."

What to expect

The Minor Treatment Area is open from noon until midnight seven days a week. It is accessible through the emergency entrance to the hospital, which is located at 7600 Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park. Arriving ambulatory patients will first see the triage nurse on duty, and then be registered for care. Patients’ individual levels of emergency, which are coded by color, appear immediately on monitors in the treatment area so that ED treatment staff are aware of the medical needs of each person in the waiting room.