New Short Stay Unit helps fast-track cardiac patients

New Short Stay Unit helps fast-track cardiac patients

julianna king and lawrence narun
Cardiology Short Stay Unit staff nurse Julianna King, RN, updates the unit’s medical director, cardiologist Lawrence Narun, M.D., on a patient’s status. The new unit enhances coordination of care for cardiac patients at Christiana Care.

A new, 10-bed Cardiology Short Stay Unit (CSSU) at Christiana Hospital enhances coordination of care within the Center for Heart & Vascular Health.

“By creating this Cardiology Short Stay Unit, Christiana Care is building innovative systems of care for cardiac patients who arrive at Christiana Hospital’s Emergency Department,” said Timothy Gardner, M.D., medical director for the Center for Heart & Vascular Health. “We are fast-tracking the large number of cardiac patients who come into our Emergency Department so they can receive specialized treatment from our experienced doctors and nurses.”

Patients at Christiana Hospital who require emergency cardiac care — but do not necessarily need to be admitted — go to the CSSU for noninvasive cardiac tests. Emergency Department (ED) patients benefit from this new process by having more beds available and timelier care.

A review of case studies on units that perform cardiac observation performed by The Advisory Board Company, a Washington D.C.-headquartered health care consulting firm, found that CCSUs reduced unnecessary hospital admissions.

The majority of cardiac patients at Christiana Hospital had previously been placed in the ED’s Clinical Observation Decision Unit. That unit is now divided in halves, with one half used for general Emergency Department needs and the other to be designated the Emergency Department Observation Unit, reserved for patients who will benefit from an extended observation period but do not necessarily need to be admitted to inpatient status.

“We are developing clear pathways for care management for our cardiology patients while also teaming with our colleagues in the ED to expedite care,” said Billie Speakman, vice president of the Center for Heart & Vascular Health. “It is another example at Christiana Care of how we are working as a team to develop a focused care model for our patients.”

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