Erie County Medical Center Corporation Continued to See Record Number of Patients in 2017
Patient discharges exceed 19,000 for first time in hospital’s history; transplants and orthopaedic surgeries increase versus 2016; Terrace View earns four-star rating
BUFFALO, NEW YORK – Erie County Medical Center Corporation (ECMCC) today announced that the hospital in 2017 continued to see a record number of patients. For the first time, inpatient hospital visits exceeded 19,000. Inpatient surgeries were up 9.7% and total surgeries increased by 1.3% over 2016; growth occurred in: orthopaedic surgeries (3%), kidney transplants (8%) and neurological surgeries (19.6%). Additional growth occurred in the hospital’s outpatient clinics, including Primary Care (2%), Neurology (3.7%), Urology (2.5%, Cardiology (5.4%) and the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine (5.1%), and similar increases occurred in ECMC’s Department of Rehabilitation Services – Inpatient admissions increased by 19.5% and Outpatient services increased by 25.2%. ECMC also saw an increase in the acuity, or level of illness in patients, with an increase of 14,155 patients admitted through the Emergency Department and an acute case mix index of 1.85 (an indicator of patient’s severity). In addition to this solid operations volume, ECMC’s Terrace View Long-Term Care Facility in May earned a Four-Star Rating for Overall Quality from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
ECMCC President and CEO Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., Ph.D. said, “While 2016 was a record-setting year for ECMC, 2017 built on that success and continued our growth and high patient volumes. More and more a hospital of choice for the residents of our region, as confirmed by such strong activity in areas such as orthopaedics, transplants and neurology, ECMC maintains our high quality standards as the region’s only Level 1Adult Trauma Center and strengthening our collaborative partnership with both Kaleida Health and the University at Buffalo. But what truly sets ECMC apart is the over 3,000 dedicated caregivers that make the hospital so special and successful. Their care and compassion for every patient that seeks our care is second to none, which is reinforced by our consistently high patient experience scores. Now in our 100th year of delivering healthcare services from our Grider Street campus, ECMC is proud to maintain the high level of excellence first established here in the early years of the 20th Century.”
ABOUT ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER (ECMC) CORPORATION: The ECMC Corporation was established as a New York State Public Benefit Corporation and since 2004 has included an advanced academic medical center with 583 inpatient beds, on- and off-campus health centers, more than 30 outpatient specialty care services and Terrace View, a 390-bed long-term care facility. ECMC is Western New York’s only Level 1 Adult Trauma Center, as well as a regional center for burn care, behavioral health services, transplantation, medical oncology and head & neck cancer care, rehabilitation and a major teaching facility for the University at Buffalo. Most ECMC physicians, dentists and pharmacists are dedicated faculty members of the university and/or members of a private practice plan. More Western New York residents are choosing ECMC for exceptional patient care and patient experiences – the difference between healthcare and true care™.