Methodist Healthcare System | Keeping Well | Winter 2018

M e t h o d i s t H e a l t h c a r e The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Methodist Hospital has received the Level 4 designation from the Texas Department of State Health Services, recognizing the comprehensive, high-quality care the hospital provides for the most critically ill and vulnerable infants. Methodist Hospital is the only facility in San Antonio, Bexar County and Central Texas to receive the designation and one of only seven in the state. “This is a new designation that reflects the high standards of NICU care that already have been in place at Methodist Hospital,” said Allen Harrison, CEO of Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital. “It recognizes the fact that Methodist Hospital is among a select group of hospitals in Texas that provide the best care for these fragile infants and their families.” Robert Lenza, CEO of Methodist Children’s Hospital and Women’s Services, explained that the review process reaffirmed the foundation that was already in place. “It’s not one specific piece of the program that makes us the best, but by having an integrated process, we provide the most comprehensive care for infants and their families,” he said. “This recognition also is important because it means that families with criti- cally ill babies have access to the best care close to home. We offer the most advanced technology and the highest level of neonatal intensive care available.” Methodist Healthcare facilities are known throughout the region for their excellent women’s services and are the preferred choice for these services. The Women’s Pavilion at Metropolitan Methodist Hospi- tal is the only stand-alone Women’s Pavilion in downtown San Antonio. Methodist Stone Oak Hospital recently added a new patient tower, which allowed for expansion of women’s services and its NICU. Methodist Hospital South, in Jourdanton, features homelike labor/delivery/recovery suites and postpartum rooms with an emphasis on positive beginnings and safety for mom and newborn. The NICU at Methodist Hospital is San Antonio’s largest, with 94 pa- tient rooms in 19,000 square feet. It includes in-house, board-certified neonatologists and advanced nurse practitioners providing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A comprehensive range of pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical subspecialists are available on-site. A newborn may enter the NICU when he or she is born prematurely, needs surgical intervention, had difficulties during delivery or shows signs of distress during the first few days of life. For Methodist Hospital, the certification process began in August 2016 and included extensive submission documentation, records reviews, a site visit and interviews. In response to House Bill D 15 of the 83rd Texas Legislature, the Texas Department of State Health Services was tasked with developing criteria for designating levels of neonatal and maternal care. This in- cluded specifying the minimum requirements for each level, 1 through 4. Any NICU in Texas that receives Medicaid reimbursements must undergo this designation process by September 2018 to continue col- lecting Medicaid funds. NICU AT METHODIST HOSPITAL BECOMES FIRST FACILITY IN SAN ANTONIO, BEXAR COUNTY AND CENTRAL TEXAS TO RECEIVE LEVEL 4 DESIGNATION FROM TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES New designation places Methodist Hospital in a select group of seven Texas facilities providing the best care for critically ill infants and their families 4 W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 K E E P I N G W E L L