Check out the latest updates from WakeMed Cary Hospital, including everything you need to know about our Geriatric Emergency Department, STEMI coverage, Medical District moves, gifts, events and more — all right here in Cary.

NEW SERVICES

WakeMed Cary Hospital Receives Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation

It’s official! WakeMed Cary Hospital’s Emergency Department has achieved the gold standard Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) from the American College of Emergency Physicians — which is the highest level of accreditation to be achieved.

The GEDA program includes three levels, which provide specific criteria and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators. The accreditation process includes more than two dozen best practices for geriatric care, and the level of GEDA accreditation achieved depends upon how many of these best practices an emergency department meets. Level 1 emergency departments must incorporate numerous best practices and provide inter-disciplinary geriatric education and have geriatric appropriate equipment and supplies available.

To achieve this accreditation, the Geriatric ED team did the following:

• Created 20-plus protocols for the continuity of care
• Made facility modifications
• Completed staff training and certification programs for 15 nurses
• Will soon add a pharmacist dedicated to geriatric-specific care

“This recognition is a credit to the hard work of our outstanding team of Emergency Medicine physicians, Emergency Department staff and many supporting departments at Cary Hospital,” says Doug Trocinski, MD, chief medical officer, WakeMed Cary Hospital. “Our community is fortunate to have such a dedicated team that fully supports the efforts leading to better care of our communities’ older adults.”

Geriatric Emergency Departments (GEDs) are well-suited to cater to the needs, dispositions and presentations of older adults. GEDs provide standardized, integrated care that can reduce system costs and drive better, healthier outcomes, often via the integration of best practices for older adults into an existing ED.

For geriatric patients, the benefits are many:

• Lower return rates and readmissions to the hospital and emergency department
• Greater space for patients needing a higher level of care
• Improved patient experiences with comprehensive geriatric care and enhanced transition of care
• Better census management  with up to 16% fewer hospital admissions and a decreased inpatient length-of-stay for admitted older patients
• Improved staff morale that inform care teams of how they are meeting/exceeding standards in geriatric care

WakeMed Cary Hospital in now STEMI Capable

WakeMed Cary Hospital now provides advanced cardiac intervention services for patients with ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) — joining WakeMed Raleigh Campus in offering this treatment. This specialized care and response plan for acute heart attacks re-opens blocked coronary arteries, reduces the time to treatment and improves outcomes for STEMI patients.

The hospital’s Heart & Vascular lab staff conducted the first Code STEMI on November 2, 2023 — one day after starting Code STEMI coverage. Pratik Desai, MD, from Cary Cardiology was the on-call interventional cardiologist who performed a cardiac catheterization and re-opened the patient’s artery within 33 minutes. This is remarkable since the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology recommend that “door-to-balloon” time to treatment is under 90 minutes.

Code STEMI coverage at Cary Hospital is available Monday through Friday from 7 am to 5 pm, with hopes to expand the days and hours soon.

“This new service is beneficial for the residents of Cary, southwestern Wake County and surrounding communities — decreasing travel time to reach a hospital capable of re-opening blocked arteries and restoring blood flow to damaged heart muscle,” says Doug Trocinski, MD, emergency medicine physician and chief medical officer at WakeMed Cary Hospital. “Time is muscle when it comes to heart attacks, and this service will save lives and improve the quality of life for patients.”

WE’RE ON THE MOVE 

Cary Hospital Medical District — Departments/Services New or On the Move

We’re moving on up! On Monday, January 29, WakeMed Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery moved into a larger space within Building 210 in the Medical Park of Cary. The new location is Suite 410. They moved out of the shared space in the General Surgery office on second floor.

At WakeMed, we prioritize providing patients the best care in our state-of-the-art facilities. That’s why we are moving two of our specialties to better serve our patients. Pulmonary Function Testing and Outpatient Specialty Rehab will be moving to Building 200 in the Medical Park of Cary. This will provide us more space to deliver world-class services as well as provide better accessibility for our patients.

We just keep growing! Our Outpatient Laboratory in Building 210 in the Medical Park of Cary is moving into a new, larger space on the first floor. This will allow for the expansion of our 210 PET Imaging space and services.

All transitions are expected by late winter or early spring 2024.

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About WakeMed Cary Hospital

WakeMed Cary Hospital — the only full-service hospital in Cary, NC — brings advanced medical care and innovative technology to one of the top-rated places to live in the nation. Conveniently located for residents of western Wake County, it serves as a regional epicenter for specialized medical services and comprehensive care. The hospital is accredited by the esteemed Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals and has won numerous awards for superior service and compassionate care.

Cary Hospital at a Glance

• 208 Licensed Acute Care Beds
• 1,300+ Employees
• 900+ Physicians & Advanced Practice Providers
• 600+ Volunteers

About Medical Park of Cary

Medical Park of Cary is located off Ashville Avenue just around the corner from the WakeMed Cary Hospital. This five-story building houses many WakeMed Physician Practices’ specialty practices offices and outpatient services. Medical Park of Cary offers patients the latest in medical technology with staff and health care teams committed to care and caring.