Looks as Salem has joined the Fight against Escalating Healthcare Costs

So much so we are soon to enjoy a New Hospital that is all of ten stories including the basement. Its Huge and with its curved glass front dwarfs the old six story (7 with basement) building across Winter Street.

But wait, its not a New Hospital with curved glass and exterior likely to win an architectural award from the City Council.

No, its only ten stories (with basement) of Emergency Department and Surgery with only 120 beds total. I guess one floor of one wing of the old hospital building enjoys 120 beds, so what's it all about.

Its all about Trauma Care as what is a State Capitol without a Trauma Level Care hospital?

Ya see, many years ago OHSU teamed up with powers that be in State government and raised the requirements to qualify a hospital as a Trauma Care Facility. Then after driving out the existing competition OHSU joined with Portland's Emanuel Hospital to garner all the gravy that would befall those offering Trauma Care levels of service. Thus the folks at Salem's Memorial Hospital were left out of the loop when it came to all those good paying Medicare/Medicaid and Oregon Health Plan patients being delivered by Helicopter to the dynamic duo in Portland.

That was then, as by May 17th, 2009 Salem will have a Trauma Care Facility second to none and it will have a Helipad a-top the New ER/Surgery building that is more than able to receive one (often taxpayer supported) helicopter load of high income patients after another.

Fact is the change has already come about with some providing EMS (Emergency Medical Services) in the County. That with 911 dispatchers now asking EMS staff to recognize a new Trauma Code system when responding to a medical call. Calling for a Code,1, 2 or 3 level response has been replaced with a Trauma Code 1, 2 or 3 and I suspect we can all bet the Medicare or Medicaid payments for Trauma Calls well exceed those paid for run-of-mill Code 1,2, and 3 emergency responses.

Just as early the other morning when a Trauma Level 2 call went out for an elderly gent who was a resident of a retirement community. He complained of having a swollen wrist. So that's a Trauma Level call huh?

Yea, I can see how we Oregonians are about to save a whole bunch of money in health care.