Liberty Campus Going Strong One Year Post-Expansion
It’s been almost a year since the doors opened on an expanded Liberty Campus. The facility, which is now a full hospital, has 42 inpatient beds, 24/7 access to surgical services, telemedicine capability and an increased range of specialty clinics. There is also overflow space for the ED and Psychiatry patients on the first floor.
In August, the Proton Therapy Center will open, attracting patients and families from around the country and the world who require this highly specialized treatment for their cancer.
“The expansion has been a great success,” says Richard Ruddy, MD, who has been the medical director at Liberty Campus since March 2015. “We’ve increased the range of diagnoses that we’re able to handle here. We’re doing more surgeries, including appendectomies, urological and some orthopaedic procedures. The case load there is up over 15 percent. We’ve had a census as high as 28, and of the 10 beds for the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, we’ve had as many as seven or eight patients at one time.”
Outpatient and ED volumes have grown, and patient acuity is higher, says Ruddy. “We’ve been able to relieve some of the pressure on Burnet Campus during high census because of our increased capacity. The next step is to further increase regular inpatient use to reduce the need for putting a hold on referring patients who require the tertiary services at the main hospital.
The expanded facility is a hit with families – it’s easy to navigate, and parking is convenient. But more importantly, people love having access to excellent pediatric care so close to home.
Technology Closes the Distance
Telemedicine has proven a useful tool for keeping patients in their own community. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) staff at Burnet Campus round virtually on intermediate patients – who require additional monitoring – twice daily at Liberty Campus. They are tended by intensive care nurses onsite.
Says Char Mason, RN, vice president, Patient Services, “It’s really about having more eyes on the patient. With the PICU connection, we’ve been able to identify kids who are getting sicker and intervene sooner to prevent the need for a transfer to Burnet. If we do have to transport the child, it’s a well-planned process, which we’ve practiced through many simulation exercises.”
Orthopaedic surgeon Eric Wall, MD, follows his post-op patients daily via Telemedicine. Infectious Diseases, the CBDI team and Occupational Therapy/Physical Therapy are also frequent users of telemedicine.
Ruddy hopes that more specialists will take advantage of opportunities to increase their role at Liberty Campus. He and Mason are working with divisions to make sure they have the resources they need to expand their practice there.
Teamwork is Key
Staff are still tweaking processes at Liberty Campus to ensure safety and efficiency. This includes how to improve the use of inpatient beds, how to best serve proton therapy patients who will be arriving soon and how to engage with the surrounding community.
“All of the teams – Hospital Medicine, Emergency Services, Periop, Nursing and ancillary support services – have been so collaborative. They deserve a lot of credit for how smoothly things have gone,” says Mason.
Ruddy agrees. “Our goal is to make sure kids in the northern area have a place to come for both inpatient and outpatient care. The staff here have done an excellent job of making Liberty Campus a place where families want to bring their children.”
