The University of Nebraska Board of Regents Friday approved the establishment of a department of emergency medicine at UNMC. Since 1997, emergency medicine has been a section assigned to the UNMC Department of Surgery. Prior to that, it was part of the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine.
“We’ve reached a critical mass of faculty and residents and want to keep the momentum going,” said Robert Muelleman, M.D., chief of the UNMC section of emergency medicine. “Emergency medicine is so multidisciplinary that it doesn’t really fit well into the existing department structure.
Dr. Muelleman cites several factors for justifying expansion into a department. These include the growth of emergency services and its scope of responsibilities, recent establishment of an emergency residency program in the state, and an advantage in attracting the best faculty and residents.
“As a department, we will have an edge in recruiting and retaining the best emergency medicine physicians and residents. Candidates want to know if we’re a department. There’s greater regard for the institution,” he said.
He said the section has thrived as part of the surgery department. “We clearly couldn’t embark on this initiative without the department’s support. It has provided invaluable support over the years.”
Dr. Muelleman said about two-thirds of emergency medicine programs at other academic health science centers are organized into departments, including the University of Iowa, the University of Minnesota, the University of Missouri and Mayo Medical School.
“The section has undergone tremendous growth in the last 10 years. Our patient volume continues to go up for various reasons, including the growth of Omaha and the growth of the medical staff, which refer patients to emergency room. About 40 percent of patients admitted into the hospital are admitted through the ER,” Dr. Muelleman said.
In 1997, seven UNMC faculty provided care for 22,000 patient visits at University Hospital. In November 2005, the Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC’s hospital partner, opened a state-of-the-art facility on campus that’s one of the busiest and largest emergency facilities between Chicago and Denver, Dr. Muelleman said. Currently, 19 faculty members provide 60,000 patient visits a year at emergency rooms at the hospital and Clarkson West Medical Center in Omaha.
“As a department we will continue to strive to become the benchmark for clinical outcomes, efficient service and patient satisfaction,” Dr. Muelleman said. “We also will increase our involvement and emphasis in emergency medicine services, toxicology, bioterrorism, health informatics and trauma services.”
Dr. Muelleman plans to increase involvement in scholarly activity.
“We will raise the bar in regards to expectations in academic output,” he said. “It will spur us to do more in basic and clinical research, publish articles in peer-reviewed journals, and accept invitations to be involved in presentations at national and international meetings.”
In 2004, in its continued effort to prepare the best-educated health professionals and increase the number of emergency medicine physicians practicing in rural Nebraska, UNMC launched its first Emergency Medicine Residency Program, which includes medical rotations in Scottsbluff. There are 18 residents enrolled in the three-year program.
No new state funding will be sought to support the department of emergency medicine. Resources and expenses from existing internal sources in the current section of emergency medicine will be transferred to get the UNMC Department of Emergency Medicine started.