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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 M A R C H 5 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S H E A L T H C A R E " ose are two major areas that, 40 years ago, were not receiving the attention they probably deserved then," Michaud says. "Multiple patients in a room fl y in the face of both those considerations." Like Maine Med, he says, other hos- pitals mitigate the risks of infection by not fi lling beds in a room occupied by a patient with a communicable infection. " ey will put that patient in a room that was meant of two people, so they just lost a bed," he says. "But they're doing all they can to make sure the patient is safe. at's a big priority, and it has huge impact on infrastructure. e days when you could have two or three or even more patients in a room or on a ward — those days are long gone." Higher volume, higher acuity Larger, private rooms are needed for patient comfort and confi dentiality, improved safety to mitigate risks of infec- tion and behavioral issues and optimum provider fl ow, says Dr. Joel Botler, Maine Med's chief medical offi cer. ese factors are signifi cant consider- ing that today's patients arrive at the hos- pital sicker than they once did, says Botler. Many patients may suff er from two or more chronic diseases or conditions. "It used to be you'd be admitted, say, with pneumonia," Botler says. "Now you have pneumonia and maybe diabetes and underlying heart failure. And the state of Maine has a very high aging population. Patients who are older come in with more problems. e fi nal factor is that more-specialized care can only be done by certain hospitals." ere are other considerations. "Someone can go to one of Maine's rural hospitals and receive care for a pri- mary problem. But if they require dialy- sis and the hospital doesn't do dialysis, they have to be transferred here," Botler continues. "In addition, people have special needs from surgery that can only be done by a place like Maine Medical Center. All of these things lead to a lot of patients who are particularly ill when they come here." e Congress Street tower will contain 19 modern procedure rooms, for surgery and diagnostic imaging laboratories. Most of the current pro- cedure rooms are more than 30 years old and are about two-thirds the size of the planned rooms. Larger rooms for surgeries and other complex pro- cedures are needed to accommodate rapidly evolving technology. Supportive infrastructure such as prep and recovery bays, family waiting rooms and steriliza- tion facilities are not properly suited to meet patient needs in the future. "We've added more equipment in health care and we've added more people as the procedures become more specialized," says COO Sanders. "We have more imaging equipment involved in care today than we did 20 years ago. As incisions have become smaller, the equipment has become bigger. We have robots now that assist in surgery. We didn't have those 10 or 15 years ago. ose are not small. We're doing things today to keep people alive that we weren't doing here 10 years ago. We need to provide space for that." L S, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at @ . YOUR LOCAL AGENCY WITH INNOVATIVE GROUP BENEFIT SOLUTIONS OFFICIAL INSURANCE BROKER E M P L O Y E E B E N E F I T S 2331 Congress Street | Suite 1 | Portland, ME | 04102 www.crossagency.com GROUP MEDICAL GROUP DENTAL VOLUNTARY PRODUCTS & MUCH MORE By working with Cross Employee Bene�ts, you will have a trusted advisor providing explanations on the di�erent plans and helping to determine your best solution. You will bene�t from our great working relationships with all of the Maine insurance carriers including; Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, Harvard Pilgrim, and Maine Community Health Options. Call today to learn more about our creative solutions. As it grows, Maine Med is recruiting M aine Medical Center's plan to modernize by 2026 is expected to account for 300 to 400 new jobs, in areas like nursing and environmental services. While Maine and the nation are challenged by provider shortages, recruitment is generally not an issue at Maine Med, due to its renown and location in an attractive city, says COO Jeff Sanders. "We're a magnet organization, so we're fortunate to do fairly well," he says. Does Maine Med's success take away from other hospitals trying to recruit? No, says Maine Hospital Association President Steven Michaud. "People do ask that," Michaud says. "I would argue it's the opposite. They're at the top of that food chain and do very well in that regard. But they've also been a wonderful partner in getting physicians to rural Maine hospitals through rotations. I'm sure they take some talent from inside Maine, but they also recruit a lot from outside, so they increase that general pool. That means there's more in Maine for everyone." We've added more We've added more We've added more We've added more We've added more We've added more We've added more We've added more We've added more equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health equipment in health care and we've added more people as procedures become more specialized. — Jeff Sanders COO / Maine Medical Center

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