Delray Medical Center and Jupiter Medical Center are overhauling their emergency departments to address the lengthy wait times for patients to be seen by emergency room physicians. The expansions come as national studies show an increase in patients, particularly the elderly, using emergency departments. In Palm Beach County, patients can wait several hours to receive emergency care, with delays climbing during the winter months when the population swells. The two (2) hospitals are spending nearly $10 million dollars to nearly double the size of their emergency rooms. Jupiter is spending another $4.2 million dollars to add a “progressive care unit” for critically ill patients who do not need intensive care. Emergency department visits nationwide rose 25% to about 114 million between 1993 and 2003 according to a study reported in the December issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine.
To read the entire Sun Sentinel article, please click on the link below:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flper0103pnjan03,0,1516832.story
For more information on defending medical malpractice, nursing home and general liability matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at Citron & Associates, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.
