New Observation Unit at WMHS Meets Growing Trend

We are proud to announce the opening of a new observation medicine unit at Western Maryland Health System (WMHS) in Cumberland, MD.

We believe observation medicine will be a growing specialty as health care reform changes the way health care is delivered in the United States. The concept is to allow a focused, intense evaluation of certain patients with a turn-around time of less than 23 hours. Medical specialists, including cardiologists and neurologists, are used in consultation where necessary.

We have been involved in a limited observation unit adjacent to the emergency department at WMHS for two years. This new unit is distinct from the 52,000 visit emergency department that we staff. The observation unit is 20 beds on a former telemetry floor. We provide staffing with nurse practitioners and observation physicians, while WMHS provides nursing staffing with specially trained observation nurses. This unit will evaluate patients with chest pain, transient ischemic attacks, dehydration, abdominal pain, flank pain, syncope, closed head injuries, blunt abdominal trauma and other diagnoses amendable to rapid evaluation.