4 things to know about UChicago Medicine’s New Emergency Department in Crown Point

In an emergency, every second counts. The new emergency department (ED) at UChicago Medicine Crown Point is here to help Northwest Indiana residents get world-class treatment quickly — and closer to home.

The 24/7 ED at the multispecialty care center, which opened in May, is staffed with the same faculty physicians who deliver excellence at the University of Chicago Medicine’s main campus in Hyde Park.

“We are so very proud to be here to serve this community” said Michael Kurz, MD, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Section of Emergency Medicine at UChicago Medicine.

Kurz shared four ways the ED at UChicago Medicine Crown Point benefits Northwest Indiana residents with its round-the-clock care.

1) An experienced emergency care team in Northwest Indiana

Staffed with fellowship-trained doctors, many with decades of experience in emergency medicine, and nurses with a combined 300 years of experience, the ED team at UChicago Medicine Crown Point is ready for anything that comes through the doors.

“These clinicians provide an additional level of expertise you're just not going to find in Northwest Indiana,” Kurz said.

Patients also have access to UChicago Medicine and UChicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital experts — including those in oncology, digestive diseases, heart and vascular, neuroscience and orthopaedic surgery.

2) State-of-the-art screening tools and experts who collaborate

Breaks and sprains, as well as chest and stomach pain, are common reasons to visit an ED. At UChicago Medicine Crown Point, patients will find cutting-edge imaging tools, experienced radiologists and emergency medicine doctors skilled at reading those images. This helps reduce delays in results and treatment.

“Even we see rare cases. If necessary, we can consult with Hyde Park,” Kurz said. “I recently had a case with a very complicated chest CT and, while sure of the very rare diagnosis, I was able to call Hyde Park and ask, ‘Will you review these images with me?'”

The team confirmed Kurz’s correct diagnosis.

3) Improved check-in process to get emergency care faster

Nobody wants to wait to receive medical care. The ED team at UChicago Medicine Crown Point has taken steps to make the admission process more efficient, cutting the time from registration to receiving a bed. This, in turn, has reduced wait times for patients.

“As we bring you back, I've already placed your labs and imaging orders,” Kurz said. “Before you’ve even been placed in your bed, your workup has started.”

The staff, he said, has seen high patient satisfaction as a result.

4) Area ambulances can be directed to UChicago Medicine Crown Point

Patients needing an ambulance can request to be taken to UChicago Medicine Crown Point’s ED as they talk with paramedics. Although an EMS provider has the final decision on the destination, they do consider a patient’s preferences, Kurz said.

If a patient needs to be admitted directly from the ED for additional care, Crown Point features an eight-bed, fully-equipped inpatient unit with a highly experienced physician staff and medicine subspecialty consultants.