Cutting-Edge Health Care in Southwest Partnership Region
A number of cutting-edge care options are available to Best Southwest Partnership region residents, anchored by the area's key health-care provider, Methodist Health System, along with other local health facilities including newly opened Crescent Medical Center in Lancaster.
As the Best Southwest Partnership region has grown, so has its health-care options. Cutting-edge medical care is within minutes in every community in the two-county region, providing services as simple as routine check-ups and as complex as life-saving heart surgery.
Leading the way is Methodist Health System, which offers an array of services anchored at its Methodist Charlton Medical Center. Many other providers also dot the landscape, ranging from walk-in clinics to physicians’ offices to surgery centers – including newly opened Crescent Medical Center, an acute-care facility in Lancaster.
Methodist Charlton recently underwent a $143.5 million expansion that increased its capacity, expanded its cardiology services and added a specialty-care unit. The medical center has a well-earned reputation for outstanding cardiac and respiratory care, not to mention high marks for overall patient safety.
Care With Compassion
The hospital takes pride in being known as a trusted source of treatment.
“Quality, compassionate care continues to be a top priority,” says Jonathan S. Davis, FACHE, the medical center’s president. “Our efforts are always focused on exemplary outcomes, exceptional patient experiences and growth, by increasing access and adding new services.”
Methodist Charlton recently added “intensivists” – trained intensive-care physicians who provide care to patients in the Intensive Care Unit around the clock – along with an Intermediate Care Unit, which supports care for patients transitioning out of intensive care to a medical surgical unit, and a Fast Track in its emergency department that has cut arrival to discharge times in half, Davis says.
Other additions include a new catheterization lab, the first non-drug procedure approved by the FDA to treat severe asthma in patients 18 years and older, and a Sleep Center to help diagnose sleep disorders. What’s more, Methodist Charlton currently offers the only full-service, interventional cardiology services in Southwest Dallas County.
High-Tech Health
“The latest evolution in surgical and robotics technologies has arrived at Methodist Charlton,” Davis says. “Robotic surgery is an effective alternative to traditional open surgery and laparoscopy that allows physicians to provide patients with the best of both approaches.”
The medical center remains a key employer as well. “Our staff numbers have grown to support our growth, and we continue to support the community members we serve through outreach events and individual volunteerism,” Davis says.
By the numbers, the hospital has shown solid results. “We continue to exceed year-over-year metrics in all aspects of care – heart attack, congestive heart failure, pneumonia, stroke, general surgery, oncology and more,” Davis says. “Better outcomes produce confidence in our services, which results in more patients seeking care at Methodist Charlton Medical Center. All of these improvements, along with our great physicians, volunteers and staff teams, are taking Methodist Charlton to a new level of service and performance.”
Over the past year, admissions and infant deliveries grew by 7 percent, ER visits rose by 8 percent and surgical care increased by 4 percent. “The growth numbers are a result of the great outcomes produced by our medical staff and clinical teams,” Davis says.
Even so, the medical center is not resting on its past successes. Plans call for a new cardiac center, the Heart and Vascular Institute. “Whether through our award-winning, fast heart-attack care, high safety scores or quality awards, we pride ourselves on being responsive to the needs of our community,” Davis says. “We look forward to having an even greater impact on the Best Southwest community in the years to come.”
A New Provider Emerges
While it’s not quite as large, Crescent Medical Center has entered the scene with high-quality services for Lancaster and the surrounding area. The 84-bed facility is home to eight ICU beds, 10 ER beds, two operating suites, four VIP suites, a cystoscopy suite, an extensive outpatient center with 10 beds and two procedure rooms, and an imaging center equipped with digital X-ray and CT services.
But just like Methodist Charlton, Crescent is far from finished growing; its future plans call for MRI, nuclear medicine and additional imaging services.
Read more about Southwest Dallas Partnership region’s health-care industry.