December 11, 2003


Kaiser Permanente Santa Teresa opens state-of-the-art emergency department

By Candy Richter
Staff Writer

Kaiser Permanente Santa Teresa Medical Center opened a new state-of-the-art emergency department (ED) on Thursday, Dec. 4. The new 17,700-square-foot facility will serve patients in San Jose and the greater south bay, including south to Monterey and north to Milpitas.

The high-tech emergency facility, which will serve more than 150 patients a day, is the largest in south San Jose, and represents a new concept in patient care. New features and technology include:

· Patient rooms offering more privacy and comfort than traditional curtain-separated rooms in most emergency facilities.
· Computer monitors in each room so physicians and nurses can have fast access to medical information, such as lab tests.
· Private triage rooms for patients and family members.
· Continuous cardiac and vitals monitoring in all treatment rooms.
· A negative pressure room with a “clean” anteroom to prevent the spread of contagious disease.
· A pneumatic tube system that speeds up the transportation of laboratory specimens.
· An approximately 13,000 square-footage increase over the old facility.
· A separate workstation for emergency services personnel with a data port–technology few hospitals currently implement.
· An environmentally safe system that flushes waste away and utilizes biodegradable bedpans.
· A designated security station with security monitors, cameras and card reader access to the main ED.

During his address at the ED opening ceremonies, KPST physician-in-chief Raj Bhandari, MD, stressed that the new ED facilities “exemplified the high satisfaction from not only the Kaiser members, but from the community around us as well.” According to Bhandari, approximately 15 percent of the ED visits are by nonmembers, making KPST one of two Kaiser facilities in Northern California that accommodates such a high volume of nonplan patients. “We serve patients from Monterey, San Benito, Milpitas, and Campbell. And now they all have a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility to use. This ED exemplifies the unique partnership of management, physicians and staff to be such a successful facility.”

“Even prior to the move, our emergency department had one of the highest patient satisfaction scores in northern California. I know our patients will be delighted with the care they receive in the new environment,” said Bhandari.
The new design and high-tech equipment at Kaiser Permanente facilities contribute to the team-based approach, which is a hallmark of Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to service. For example, at Santa Teresa, the digital radiography technology allows patients to have a CAT scan in one facility and have the digital image available for immediate consultation with any specialist across northern California. This technology allows patients to receive top-quality care by experts across the region.

“We see about 52,000 people per year in our ED. That means on average we see about 150 people per day. Those numbers make us one of the busiest ED's in northern California,” said Robin Parsons, RN, emergency department director. “The staff and physicians have done a wonderful job taking care of our patients despite many different and challenging constraints. They are very excited about making sure our excellent care carries over into the new emergency department.”

According to Dr. Terry Blay, chief of urgent care physicians, the improved facility means that a wider variety of patient emergencies can be handled at the KPST campus. “As a bigger facility, we will be that much less likely to fill up. Our new capabilities will allow us to triage those less serious cases to our clinics for treatment, allowing us to focus on the most critical emergencies. Although this directly affects the ED, this is actually a facility-wide improvement, it allows us to more effectively care for our community.”

Although there has been an increase of about one to two nurses per shift in the ED staff, Parsons has adopted a “wait and see” stance on any further hiring. “We’re going to watch the volume, wait and see how it will increase, and base our staffing on the new flow. This is a work in progress, we just don’t know what our needs will be; we haven’t had this capacity, so we have nothing to base it on yet!”

The new ED was designed with input from patients, physicians, nurses and staff, which also reflects Kaiser Permanente's goal to meet the needs of the community for the next 10 to 20 years.

“Kaiser Santa Teresa is a community as well as a member hospital,” said District 2 councilmember Forrest Williams. “This facility has looked at the needs of everyone involved, both members and nonmembers and I know [Kaiser] is proud to be here to serve those needs and to contribute to our community.”

Summing up the grand opening event, Blay stressed that “It’s really the people that makes [Kaiser Permanente Santa Teresa] special. Everyone here is special because they care–care about the patients and their families and I can’t wait to see the synergy that will happen when the staff is working in this new facility.”