Meeting the Growing Demand
For Outpatient Service

To meet the growing demand for outpatient services, the VA Maryland Health Care System has initiated a series of construction and renovation projects to increase our capacity and to improve access to outpatient care. Most recently, a new surgical outpatient clinic opened on the fifth floor of the Baltimore VA Medical Center.

With the opening of the new unit, the podiatry, orthopedic, general surgery, thoracic, plastic, urology, vascular and neurosurgery clinics were relocated from the first floor to the fifth floor of the medical center. This move allows us to serve our veteran patients more efficiently.

All the rooms on the new unit are now standardized with surgical supplies, surgical lights and special examination tables. The tables convert from a chair to a table, as well as move up and down, making it easier for veteran patients to get on and off the tables with minimal assistance. The newly renovated area also has a three-bay stretcher room that accommodates patients who are stretcher bound or require oxygen and closer supervision.

Another advantage of the new unit is that the surgical offices, operating rooms and clinics are now on one floor, which makes it easier for the attending physicians to supervise residents and respond to requests for consultations. The preoperative nurse practitioners and case managers also have offices in the area. If surgery is indicated for an outpatient seen in the clinic, the preoperative process can begin immediately instead of being rescheduled for another day.

As a result of the recent renovations, the surgical outpatient clinics have reduced their wait times to see a provider.

In addition to the renovation of the new surgical outpatient clinic, construction has begun on the fourth floor of the Baltimore VA Medical Center to expand the outpatient medical care clinic space. To accommodate the increased number of outpatient visits throughout the medical center, construction is also underway to install an additional elevator that will go from the lobby of the facility to the sixth floor. The new addition will greatly reduce the time that patients and their family members have to wait for an elevator to get to their outpatient clinic appointment at the medical center.

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