UPMC Shifts Site To An Outpatient Emergency Department

UPMC is converting a small hospital in rural Clinton County, Pennsylvania, to an outpatient emergency department (ED) under the state’s new Innovative Hospital Models project. Innovative Hospital Models were announced last year and also include micro-hospitals and tele-EDs.

Outpatient EDs, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH), are outpatient locations of a hospital beyond the grounds of a main licensed hospital that only offers emergency services. The care sites do not have traditional inpatient beds on site.

UPMC Lock Haven will be the first in Pennsylvania to convert to an outpatient ED since PADOH revised regulations to spur innovation in healthcare, particularly in rural areas.

“The Innovative Hospital Models released last year by the PADOH gave us a unique opportunity to explore and support the most effective and efficient delivery of emergency care in this rural area where inpatient hospital admissions have been very low for a long time,” Patti Jackson-Gehris, president of UPMC in North Central Pennsylvania, said in the announcement on Friday.

“Local and national trends also show an exponential increase in patient preference for outpatient services. We are pleased to announce this plan and we are confident that this is the best model of care to meet the needs of this community.”

UPMC Lock Haven is a 25-bed hospital that offers complete outpatient, emergency, medical, and surgical care. The small hospital also includes a 90-bed skilled nursing facility. It was acquired by UPMC in October 2017.

UPMC bought the hospital for $5.2 million and has since invested $4 million in capital improvements. The health system said in the announcement that it incurred $4.4 million in operating losses last year, including in physician investment.

However, Lock Haven mayor Joel Long told local news sources that the conversion of UPMC Lock Haven to an outpatient ED is “scary.”

“God forbid we have another pandemic and need all the beds we can possibly get,” Long said. “It’s going to be a big transition.”

UPMC said that UPMC Lock Haven will be staffed 24/7 by a team of physicians and nurses. Specialists will also continue to offer outpatient services for foot and ankle, as well as pain management. The conversion also will not affect Haven Place, a part of UPMC Senior Communities.

Additionally, UPMC intends to “retain and incorporate” all of Lock Haven’s employees by placing them in comparable positions within the health system if they do not stay at UPMC Lock Haven under the new care model.

UPMC expects to complete the conversion by mid-April.