MidState Medical Center is seeking to build a new $8.4 million, 16-bed adult medical and surgical unit to boost its inpatient space.
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 indicated 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 president 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 reported that it has been consistently operating at occupancy 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.
Due to its ongoing strained capacity, MidState indicated 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 application shows.
According to MidState, 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.
According to Havican, adding beds will have a significant impact on patients’ experience, 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 anticipates that the new unit would be able to open by October 2025. MidState intends to finance the project with operating capital.
