— LAKE WALES, Fla. — AdventHealth Lake Wales has launched a Vertical Bay Program within its Emergency Department, allowing patients faster access to the emergency room. This new program comes as emergency departments nationwide face growing challenges.
Through AdventHealth Lake Wales' Vertical Bay Program, beds and rooms are available to the sickest patients who need them the most, and nearly every patient is seen and has their needs addressed quickly and efficiently.
According to the CDC, nearly 140 million patients try to get emergency medical attention in the United States, every year, while hospitals deal with increasing volumes and diminishing space, which can lead to lengthy wait times and potential patient dissatisfaction. Traditional emergency department models, where every patient admitted requires their own room and bed regardless of how urgent their condition is, often result in delays in care.
By transitioning patients who don’t need individual rooms into vertical bays, this is significantly reducing wait times and expediting the diagnostic and treatment process for everyone who visits the AdventHealth Lake Wales ER.
AdventHealth has already seen positive results with vertical bays in other hospitals. Since the introduction of the VIP (Vertical Integration Program) area in June 2022, AdventHealth Carrollwood has seen the number of patients leaving without being seen drop substantially.
In June 2022, about 11 percent of patients left the AdventHealth Carrollwood emergency room without receiving care due to extended wait times. However, through the implementation of the Vertical Bay Program, this percentage dropped significantly. Today, less than one percent of patients are leaving without treatment.
"We are committed to reconceiving and evolving how we offer emergency care to meet the ever-changing needs of our patients," AdventHealth Lake Wales President and CEO Royce Brown said. "The Vertical Bay Program represents a paradigm shift in emergency department management, enabling us to prioritize patient well-being while maximizing operational efficiency.”
The Vertical Bay Program is part of AdventHealth’s continued efforts to provide the best whole-person care possible for patients. Learn more here.