Telluride Med Center: Visits & Services Continue to Grow

27 Oct Telluride Med Center: Visits & Services Continue to Grow

This week, the Telluride Regional Medical Center announced the emergency and primary care departments accommodated 21,036 patient visits last year, a 13% increase over the previous year and consistent with growth trends over the past six years.

According to Telluride Regional Medical Center CEO John Gardner, two significant areas of growth are the number of patients seen over age 65 and those 14 and under. Last year’s visits from the baby boomer demographic were up 45% over 2009, while patient visits from the 14 and younger segment grew by 99% over the same six-year span.

Meanwhile, the medical center has also expanded amenities to offer palliative care services and a Behavioral Health Integration Program.

The organization recently earned the highest national recognition for patient-centered care for their expanded Care Management Services, which aims to identify patients who may benefit from extra attention and resources to manage conditions like diabetes and obesity.

The medical center’s growth and success is especially note-worthy considering the limitations of their current facility, according to Gardner, who took the medical center’s leadership helm in June.

“I’ve really never seen anything like this. Our staff provides more care in a 10,000-square-foot building than what most health professionals set out to accomplish in facilities double the size.”

To accommodate the growing demands for health care while the Telluride Hospital District works to secure a future home for a new facility, the medical center has added new staff, extended visiting hours, moved administrative personnel to another location, and created a makeshift exam room out of a conference room.

“We’re the safety net for the community, we’ll do whatever we have to do to serve,” said Gardner.

More about the Telluride Med Center:

Telluride Regional Medical Center provides the highest quality, comprehensive Primary Care and exceptional Emergency / Trauma Services. The medical center has evolved since 1978, wherever possible, right along with complex healthcare technologies and population growth, while remaining within the 10,000-square-foot remodeled residential building, built in the 1960s.

Currently the Telluride Hospital District is working towards building a new facility, which will serve allow the staff to continue to meet the needs of the Telluride region today, tomorrow, and 50 years into the future.