More and more, health care is focusing on preventative, community-based services and moving away from in-hospital stays. Health Reporter Erin Billups takes a look at how one major hospital network is adjusting and filed the following report.
There was a lot of concern in Greenwich Village when St. Vincent's hospital closed. Plans to replace it with a free-standing emergency department were met with skepticism. Six years later, residents appear happy with Northwell Health's Lenox Health Greenwich Village ER.
And now it no longer stands alone.
An imaging department opened this month. Out-patient surgery, doctor offices and physical therapy will be added soon. The only thing separating it from a traditional hospital - no long term beds.
"All of those programs together, really should make this a 'one-stop' shop for anybody that needs medical care and we want to improve the health and wellness of this community," explains Alex Hellinger, Executive Director at Lenox Health Greenwich Village.
And for people just needing stitches or treatment for the flu, Northwell has joined the urgent care game.
"It was clear as urgent care, as a business evolved, and as patients' needs and desires evolved, that urgent care was something that we had to get serious about," says Adam Boll, Vice President at Northwell Ventures Operations.
Teaming up with Go Health Urgent Care, Northwell - formerly North Shore LIJ - now operates 24 centers in the region. There are five in Manhattan with a sixth on the way with others dotting the neighborhoods surrounding Northwell hospitals.
It's an effort to cash in on the move away from institutionalized health care. The focus is now on keeping people healthy and out of hospitals.
"Rather than a patient avoiding an emergency room because their co-payment was too high or not seeking care in an office because the office wasn't open at a convenient time, we are providing care to patients at the times that they need it at the level that they need it," says Boll.
And the main goal of Go Health's partnership with Northwell, is linking patients to primary care.
"We will make a diagnosis of diabetes in a child who's been thirsty and losing weight. They may need a pediatric endocrinologist or we will make a diagnosis of high blood pressure in a patient. We will refer them to a primary care specialist," says Dr. Neal Shipley, Regional Medical Director at Northwell Go Health.
The goal is to offer quicker, more seamless access to Northwell doctors, hopefully improving the health of its communities while boosting the company's bottom line.