New ER at Inova Mount Vernon Puts Patients First

A New Era of Patient Care for the Mount Vernon, VA Area

New Emergency Department at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital: Bigger, Better, Faster

A new era in patient care began in the Mount Vernon and Alexandria community in November 2016 when Inova Mount Vernon Hospital formally dedicated and opened the Veatch Family Emergency Department and ER. Every year, more than 40,000 patients (about 110 each day) receive their emergency care at Inova Mount Vernon. Now, this world-class care is available in a new, state-of-the-art building.

At 22,800 square feet, the facility is nearly three times the size of the old emergency room. It features 35 all-private treatment rooms (including special rooms for pediatric care), a spacious lobby and a “fast track” area for quicker treatment of less serious injuries.

Rett Embrey, MD, Chair of Emergency Services, says the difference for patients and staff is night and day: “A lot of thoughtful design went into our new Emergency Department, and patients will immediately notice. It’s about more than the larger size and all-new equipment. This new space combines a superior patient experience with the highest level of clinical care.”

A Patient-First Design

Every detail of the new Veatch Family Emergency Department has been designed with the patient in mind. This includes a kid-friendly waiting room, and larger signage and distinct color tones to cater to older patients. It is also designed in a wide-open, spacious manner that makes communication and patient flow faster and more efficient.

A new, streamlined patient flow system ensures that every patient will be seen by a clinician immediately upon arrival. “Patients are now greeted right in the lobby by an Emergency Department nurse,” explains Courtney Elliot, Emergency Department Nurse Manager. “Whereas our old Emergency Department had only one registration ‘greet station’ for arriving patients, we now have three.”

Privacy for ER Patients

Once inside the treatment area, patients will notice all private, enclosed treatment bays. “And for our pediatrics patients,” Elliot says, “we even offer gaming (X-box or PlayStation) to help them relax while waiting to be seen. We understand that any trip to the ED can be a traumatic experience, so we’ve done everything we can to enhance that experience for patients of all ages.”

Designed for Efficient Care & Treatment

The new design also enables more effective clinical care. “For medical professionals, it’s very important when you’re treating patients to visually see everything that is going on,” Dr. Embrey says. “If there’s a problem that develops–if you have a lot of barriers or obstructions–it can be harder to effectively treat a patient. I think the overall design and technology we’ve built into our new Emergency Department sets us apart from any other hospital in the area.”

“We studied the best, most effective designs across the nation when it came time to build ours,” he adds. “We looked hard at all the hospitals that have done it right. This is why I’m so confident Inova Mount Vernon Hospital has done it right.”

Commitment to Safety and Excellence

The Emergency Department team at Inova Mount Vernon boasts a top 1 percent rating for patient satisfaction. The care team was honored in both 2015 and 2016 by Press Ganey Associates (the hospital’s patient survey partner) with the Guardian of Excellence Award for patient satisfaction.

Jeff Veatch, center, the namesake of the new Emergency Department at Inova Mount Vernon, cuts the ribbon at the new ER opening.

Inova Mount Vernon Hospital is committed to providing prompt, respectful care in a facility that matches the quality of the treatment. Why all this attention to detail and commitment to excellence? Local entrepreneur and businessman Jeffrey Veatch, whose $2 million lead matching gift in 2014 was the catalyst for construction of this new space, offers an answer: “The Emergency Department is the only part of the hospital that 90 percent of the people in the community will ever see,” he says. “This is a place with amazing doctors, and we want to attract new ones. And it might be a place that will one day save your life.”

The Veatch Family Emergency Department is the latest example of growth at Inova Mount Vernon. In 2014, the new Mark and Brenda Moore Patient Tower opened alongside upgraded hospital lobby areas and other infrastructural enhancements. Veatch sums up these advancements, saying, “Every great community needs a great hospital.”

Specialized Rooms

The Inova Mount Vernon Emergency Department has a number of specialized rooms dedicated for patients with specific ailments and diseases. They include:

• Trauma rooms, designed like operating rooms with enough space to allow multiple doctors to work at the same time.
• Behavioral rooms, designed for patients with behavioral health issues, including those who are at risk of hurting themselves.
• Isolation rooms, for highly contagious patients suspected to have diseases like ebola or tuberculosis, with large spaces outside to transport patients directly from the ambulance.
• Fast track rooms, designed to get patients with minor ailments in and out of the Emergency Department quickly.