Hartford Business Journal

4 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | AUGUST 21, 2023 Washington Trust Wealth Management ® is a registered trademark of The Washington Trust Company, which has licensed its use to its parent, affiliates, and subsidiaries, including Washington Trust Advisors, Inc. Investment products are offered through Washington Trust Wealth Management. Non-deposit investment products are: not deposits; not FDIC insured; not insured by any federal government agency; not guaranteed by the Bank; may go down in value. MidState Medical Center seeks permission for $8.4M expansion By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo msullo@hartfordbusiness.com M idState Medical Center is seeking to build a new $8.4 million, 16-bed adult medical and surgical unit to boost its inpatient capacity. The nonprofit Meriden-based hospital, which is part of the Hartford HealthCare system, has submitted a certificate of need application with the state Office of Health Strategy to increase its licensed bed capacity. The medical center said it needs to expand because of a "significant" increase in patient volume in the past five years, ranging from emergency department visits to surgeries. A new 16-bed unit would bring MidState's number of licensed beds up from 156 to 172. Gary Havican, senior vice presi- dent and central region president for Hartford HealthCare, said MidState is committed to providing the "safest and highest quality of care." "We have filed a certificate of need application to respond to the increasing number of patients who are choosing to have their care at MidState Medical Center, in particular, patients seeking care for oncology, general medicine and surgery," Havican said. Because of the patient volume increase, the hospital said it has MidState Medical Center in Meriden. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED been consistently operating at occu- pancy levels above the 80% industry standard. This impedes its ability to respond to unforeseen volume surges, such as the spike that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. With the addition of space for 16 inpatient beds, the hospital's overall occupancy rate would fall within industry guidelines, according to MidState. Strained capacity Due to its ongoing strained capacity, MidState said it has had an increase in admitted patients "boarding" in its emergency room, sometimes in hallways, while waiting for a bed to become available. The number of patients who spend four hours or more in the emergency department before being assigned an inpatient bed has significantly increased in recent years, from 1,610 patients in 2020, to 3,704 patients in 2022. MidState anticipates this number could exceed 4,500 by the end of fiscal year 2023. According to MidState's application, emergency department boarding can delay diagnosis and treatment and increase a patient's length of stay, increasing the cost of care. The proposed additional bed capacity would help reduce how long patients have to wait in the emergency room for an inpatient bed, according to the application. Adding beds will have a significant impact on the patient experience, Havican added, including shorter wait times in the emergency department and more timely access to diagnosis and treatment. "This proposal will reduce the need to hold patients in the emergency room and will result in more efficient treatment for patients," Havican said. Pending approval of its certificate of need application, MidState antici- pates that the new unit would be able to open by October 2025. MidState intends to finance the project with operating capital. 15,000 12,000 9,000 6,000 3,000 0 MIDSTATE MEDICAL CENTER TOTAL PATIENT DISCHARGES *Projected discharges. | Source: Office of Health Strategy 2020 2021 2022 2023* 2024* 2025* 2026* PATIENT DISCHARGES

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