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The hospital and the emergency department of the Billings Clinic exceed their capacity and apply unusual measures to meet the demand, said Thursday the hospital leaders.
Patient beds were installed in a conference room and in the corridors to handle the overflow, hospital officials said at a press conference in the morning.
Dr. Robert Merchant, chief medical officer of the hospital, said that many hospitals in the state were experiencing a similar situation. The Billings Clinic has a capacity of over 110%. The emergency department has 36 beds, as well as additional triage rooms and other patient areas.
Merchant pointed out that the hospital was not in a crisis situation.
"We manage our patients well, our patients receive quality care," he said. "But it's a situation where this has an impact on our flows."
The same goes for St. Vincent Healthcare, said Dr. Michael Bush, Chief Medical Officer.
"St. Vincent Healthcare is currently experiencing a very large number of patients in the hospital," he said in a statement.
While St. Vincent continues to provide care to all patients in his emergency department, Bush encouraged people with non-urgent issues to visit one of the walk-in clinics. from the hospital.
Nancy Iverson, Director of Patient Safety and Infection Control at Billings Clinic, speaks at Thursday's press conference.
Although demand is strong at this time of the year – when cold weather induces more respiratory diseases – the number remains unusually high. February is generally the peak of the influenza season, said Nancy Iverson, Director of Patient Safety and Infection Control at Billings Clinic.
Merchant, a long-time doctor, said the Billings Clinic, the state's largest health care center, had the largest number of patients he saw during his tenure.
The clinic uses a state-of-the-art, color-coded capacity management plan, a rainbow that turns from green to yellow, passing through orange, red and then black. Thursday, the clinic was black.
"Black is rare," he says. "I could not give you an exact figure, but I would say two or three times a year."
Dr. Nathan Allen, medical director of the emergency department, said her medical team continues to do what she does every day, "who cares about whoever comes to the door and the patients who come to us by ambulance".
"Because of the high volumes, people can expect longer wait times than others," he said. "But we have a highly trained staff that continues to assess people's level of illness so that the sickest patients receive immediate care as soon as they need it."
During a press conference held in the morning, hospital officials encouraged less sick patients to consider getting treatment in walk-in clinics at the hospital or in the city , or by calling the hospital helpline at 406-255-8400. Calling the clinics for an appointment will reduce waiting time, they said, and would be less likely to be exposed to illnesses that could have other patients in the waiting room. .
The ultimate goal is for patients to seek the appropriate level of service, Merchant said. Most respiratory diseases can be treated in day clinics and walk-in clinics, where many patients will receive services more quickly.
The leaders of the Billings Clinic meet before a press conference Thursday at the hospital.
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