By Michelle Bliss
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/whqr/local-whqr-972142.mp3
06-07-11 – New Hanover Regional Medical Center admitted a record number of patients last month for inpatient care. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that emergency room visits were also up from the same month last year.
On average, the hospital treats 470 patients a month. Last month that number jumped to 575, and ER visits increased by about 200 since May of 2010, up to 10,300 for the month.
Hospital spokesperson Martha Harlan says that many of those patients are older adults with upper respiratory conditions who should have seen their primary care doctor sooner.
"Emergency rooms across the nation are seeing more patients; folks are turning to ERs for primary care and sometimes when they're doing that, they're waiting too long longer than they should and, so, when they come into the hospital, their conditions are a lot more complex."
Harlan says that patient numbers usually drop off when the flu season ends, but that didn't happen this year.
"We project for a heavier, higher census through the flu season; it usually levels off around February or so. This year we didn't see that decline. We saw it continue to increase during the flu season and then really stay up there at record numbers."
To keep up with demand, the hospital hired 44 nurses just last month. Harlan says that the finance department has also assembled a team to help patients qualify for Medicaid since both self-pay and uncompensated care are on the rise.
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