 Wesley Medical Center
In 1912 the Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church established a 30-bed hospital in a three-story Victorian house in Wichita, calling it Wesley Hospital. The staff consisted of two registered nurses and four student nurses.
Over the decades, Wesley has grown to become a regional, acute-care center licensed for 760 beds and 102 bassinets. The medical staff of 700 physicians and nearly 3,000 employees provides a full range of diagnostic and treatment services.
Wesley is one of the largest of the 200 facilities that comprise HCA. Every year, more than 25,000 adults and children are inpatients and more than 5,000 babies are born at Wesley. Emergency department visits exceed 60,000 and outpatient visits more than 120,000.
Advanced facilities and technology
Continually updated facilities and technology offer patients newly developed diagnostic and treatment options. The latest advancements include:
- The new Critical Care Building combines state-of-the-art technology with the latest in efficient, comfortable design to benefit surgical, coronary and medical intensive care patients.
- PACS digital technology replaces x-ray film to produce clearer, faster and more portable images. Along with other advanced imaging techniques, physicians can view the human body in more detail than ever before and provide minimally invasive treatment of many diseases.
- Wesley's Gamma Knife-the only one in this area-uses a single, targeted dose of radiation to destroy brain tumors and other neurological abnormalities, thereby avoiding surgery and minimizing damage to surrounding structures.
- Wesley also has the area's only hyperbaric oxygen chambers for specialized treatment of hard-to-heal wounds and carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Wesley's Sleep Disorders Center has moved to the new hotel nearby, where patients can enjoy a more convenient, comfortable overnight stay while undergoing a sleep study.
- To meet patients' specific needs by providing the most appropriate level of care, Wesley recently opened new units for recovery from cardiovascular interventional procedures and gastric bypass sugery. An intermediate care unit for patients whose needs lie between intensive care and and a medical/surgical unit will open this year.
Trauma surgeons and intensivists
Three surgical intensivists and six other trauma surgeons now provide in-house trauma coverage 24 hours every day.
A cutting-edge patient care model for surgical intensive care also has been developed. The model uses a multidisciplinary team which is led by critical care intensivists and uses evidence-based research and guidelines to direct therapy.
Emergency and trauma care
Expansion of Wesley's Level 1 Emergency Department-the largest in the state-has increased emergency beds to 42 and the number of patients treated to over 61,000 annually. Experienced staff include board-certified trauma surgeons who are in-house around the clock. Specialized trauma, stroke and sepsis teams provide immediate, intensive treatment to save lives and minimize potential disability.
A freestanding emergency and diagnostic center that will extend Wesley's emergency services to west Wichita is currently in development.
Wesley hospitalists
Wesley has expanded its hospitalist service (Mid-Kansas Inpatient Physicians) to four physicians, all board-eligible in medicine and pediatrics. They are available to assume the care of patients during hospitalization, upon request, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Wesley has just begun a hospitalist traineeship, in cooperation with the University of Kansas Medical School.
The Baby Hospital
Known as "The Baby Hospital" since 1912, Wesley delivers 5,000 babies annually-more than any other hospital in Kansas. With the area's only freestanding BirthCare Center, the largest and most experienced Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and progressive research programs, Wesley continues to lead the way in the care of mothers and newborn babies.
Enhanced safety measures
Building on a new barcoding system to help prevent medication errors, Wesley is now implementing ePOM-electronic provider order management. When all ePOM systems are online in 2006, physicians will be able to enter prescriptions and orders directly into portable computers, avoiding potential communication errors.
Wesley also has implemented measures to meet the new safety and quality goals recommended by the Medicare/Medicaid National Voluntary Hospital Reporting Initiative and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. These include:
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Read-back of verbal orders for verification
- "Time out" immediately before surgery begins as an extra confirmation of correct patient, procedure and site
- Participation in a community-wide collaborative to standardize orders for cardiac patients
- Preprinted orders and dismissal instructions to facilitate administration of beta-blockers and aspirin for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) patients
- Use of two patient identifiers when taking or administering blood products
- Discontinued use of unacceptable, potentially misinterpreted abbreviations
- Systems to screen and immunize all patients aged 50 and older against pneumonia and influenza and to speed antibiotic administration for pneumonia patients
Wesley meets or exceeds Leapfrog evidence-based hospital referral volumes and safety practices for high-risk delivery, neonatal intensive care, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, coronary artery bypass surgery, and several other procedures.
Exceptional staff
For two years in a row, employees have voted Wesley one of the top 10 places to work in Wichita-a great testimonial from dedicated, highly skilled staff members. Gallup Organization surveys consistently include dozens of Wesley departments among the "World Class" and "Best in Class" departments of all Gallup clients worldwide. On the individual level, outstanding employees are recognized through the Dr. Thomas F. Frist Humanitarian Award, Excellence in Caring Awards, Ambassador Awards, and numerous honors by professional organizations given for expertise and quality of care.
In addition to their work at Wesley, many Wesley physicians and employees volunteer as medical missionaries to underserved populations. Wesley has received a national "Patriot Award" for support of employees who serve as health-care providers in National Guard and Reserve units at home and overseas.
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