Georgia system reopens hospital to inpatient services

Georgia system reopens hospital to inpatient services 
Hospital CFO Report; by Mariah Taylor; 5/2/24 
Piedmont Augusta (GA) is reopening the emergency department and inpatient services at its Summerville campus after converting the location into an outpatient campus over a year ago. Effective May 16, the hospital will open 15 beds in the emergency department, 12 inpatient unit beds, and new imaging services. Outpatient services will continue as normal, according to a May 1 system news release. "What we heard pretty quickly from our community is that they missed the efficiency of that campus," Lily Henson, MD, CEO of Piedmont's Augusta clinical hub, said in the release. 
Editor's Note: A recent national trend has been closing emergency departments and inpatient hospital services, especially in rural areas. These closures impact hospice and palliative referrals, community awareness of and access to end-of-life care, and more.