The emergency department at Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital (VBCH) now averages about 2,000 visits a month, Drew Flansbaum, MD, Regional ED Medical Director, told business and community leaders at the Bedford County Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Luncheon on Nov. 3.
Flansbaum joined other top hospital leaders to spotlight the new services, programs, and recent quality and safety recognitions at the 60-bed facility.
VBCH garnered a variety of quality and safety awards over the last several years, including nine Leapfrog “A” grades along with recognition from Becker’s Healthcare, the Tennessee Hospital Association, and Vizient, Lori Martin, MBA, BSN, RN, RT(R), Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, told community leaders.
At the heart of success at VBCH is the people who work around the clock to provide high-quality care in a safe environment, said Martin. The hospital has an 88% employee retention rate, which she said reflects the sense of pride the staff has for its mission to serve the community.
The ED growth has come alongside Vanderbilt Health emergency physicians on-site, said Flansbaum, adding there is increased access to LifeFlight, a Fast Track service and new specialty care in podiatry, nephrology, and hand, plastics and orthopaedics.
Olivia Doak Parsons, MSM, PA-C, told the crowd she was excited to be out of the ED for a little while to talk about how much she loves being able to care for the community she grew up in. Parsons said she is proud that VBCH continues to add clinicians and services, particularly the lifesaving stroke program, because it means her family, friends and neighbors can stay close to home and still get the care they need from a Vanderbilt Health team dedicated to the area.
Martin and Mike Defoe, MBA-HCM, Executive Director of Finance, underscored how continuing investments in outpatient diagnostic technology, especially the new weekend diagnostic services, rural health clinics and nurses are central to the growth and the hospital’s mission to serve the community.
