Cabot Emergency Hospital: The Little ER That Could
January 24-30, 2022
By Dwain Hebda
When the Cabot Emergency Hospital (CEH) opened its doors, it was frequently mistaken for an emergency clinic, of the variety that has popped up all over Arkansas in recent years. It took a while for the public to understand how different and groundbreaking the new practice was compared to any health care entity in the state.
Once word got around, however, the standalone mini hospital specifically geared toward emergency care – complete with in-house lab, overnight observation rooms, X-ray, ultrasound and other cutting-edge technology – has been embraced in ways that are the envy of hospitals and health systems statewide.
“I think there was a little bit of a learning curve initially, but very quickly the community embraced our model, and we were able to see people from a further radius than I think even we originally anticipated,” said Nathan Jeffers, director of marketing at the suburban hospital in Lonoke County.
“Our local referring physicians were able to quickly adapt and realize we are a viable option where they can send their patients if they’re having chest pain or other active pain that needs diagnosis or if they’re experiencing an emergency. As a result, I don’t think it took as long as we originally anticipated for our volume to come to fruition.”
Now, having reached its second anniversary in Fall 2021, leadership is beginning to consider how to replicate its success elsewhere in Arkansas. Dr. Justin White, medical director, said while a second location isn’t imminent, he hinted that there are plenty of options for expansion when the time comes.
“I see probably about three or four targets here in Arkansas that could make some sense, based off of geographic location,” he said. “Obviously, Little Rock is a target. I think Northwest Arkansas is a target with the extreme growth there. And I think Jonesboro, that corridor could be a target. Hot Springs is obviously another, where you’ve got Hope, Mount Ida, Malvern, Hot Springs Village even as far north as the Russellville area that will come to Hot Springs for care.”
“Our goal is, and always will be, at this point to continue to make Cabot the greatest success that it can be. But I think [expansion] is always in the back of our minds,” White added.
If the founders of the hospital – eight physicians, six of whom work shifts at CEH – ever needed proof of concept for the venture, COVID-19 was it. And while White admits the hospital has weathered trials during the pandemic, an assessment of the hospital today shows a far different picture than at other health care institutions.
For example, not only were no employees from among the 70-person staff furloughed during the pandemic, but also every position on the employee roster has remained filled, including its 35 nursing positions. At a time when the health care community is desperate to attract and retain its front-line professionals, especially nurses who are leaving the profession in droves due to stress and overwork, this is a major accomplishment.
“We’re a small facility, and that allows us to have a very personal touch with everything,” White said. “As medical director, I pretty much know every nurse, every respiratory therapist, every radiologist on staff. When you really stay in touch, you see what nurses and respiratory therapists and radiology techs need and we really take a family approach to make sure everybody gets what they need.”
Chief Nursing Officer Nicole McMinn concurred, saying ownership standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the front lines with staff is what inspired such game-changing loyalty.
“Our physicians do a remarkable job of showing their appreciation day-in and day-out,” she said. “They do so many different things for our team members to show they truly appreciate them, and I think that contributes to our success in the staffing arena, for sure.”
“Also, it is a great working environment. We have health care professionals who are essentially veterans, who have the same goal of providing the best standard of care possible and they’re always looking for better ways to help us do that. In health care in general, you have to be able to identify what is your workflow, what are your processes and revise those, because health care is ever-changing. Therefore, I value everybody’s feedback and opinions and concerns,” explained McMinn.
Another major accomplishment of the hospital – both as a quality component as well as an invaluable marketing hook – is its miniscule wait time. Throughout the swings that COVID brought the hospital’s normal traffic, CEH continues to run circles around the competition, with advertised wait times of 10 minutes or less after hitting the door. This compared to the 2017 national average of 40 minutes waiting in the ER – and 16 percent of all visits including more than an hour of waiting – per the Washington Post.
“If you ask anybody, ‘What’s your biggest complaint about the ER?’ It’s time. It is time and wait,” White said. “That’s something where having an owner sitting right there who’s kind of pressing the subject really helps. All of our physicians have extreme buy-in on time, because moving a patient is part of our business model.”
“Our slogan is ‘Minutes away, hours faster,’” said the local hospital marketing executive. “Someone driving from west Little Rock or North Little Rock, or from Searcy or from Conway come to us understanding that the speed with which they’re going to be seen is better than sitting in a waiting room wondering what’s going on, waiting on your turn to be evaluated.”
CEH’s business model is part of a trend in health care - the specialty hospital. These health care outlets benefit from being smaller and more focused, such as strictly on cancer, cardiac or in CEH’s case, emergency care. Lacking the multiple levels of bureaucracy found in their much-larger competitors that must cover a broader range of services, specialty hospitals are nimbler in adjusting to market demands within their service footprint.
“This model can work anywhere there’s patients that need to be seen,” White said. “The speed with which our laboratory studies and our radiology services come back is unparalleled and that’s really key to not holding up the process. Then, once you get the diagnosis, you make your decision on what you’re going to do.”
“Being decisive makes a big difference. We’re not having to wait to talk to consultants. If somebody needs to be transferred, we’re getting that transfer initiated. It’s about moving patients through as quickly as possible, yet with very good service,” he said.
The Cabot location came about as part of NuTex Health, a Texas-based network of standalone facilities in eight states. NuTex executives Drs. Tom Vo and Matt Young, the two non-resident partners in CEH, had expanded to Texarkana, Texas, and over time assembled White and the other on-site partners Drs. Scott Darnell, Jim Box, Charles Mason, Scott Archer and Brian Baird, to launch the venture. Young is reportedly behind efforts to bring a similar location to Fort Smith but for now, Cabot remains the only facility of its kind in Arkansas.
“I really feel like this is the future. I think gone are the days where you will see 250-500 bed facilities being built,” White said. “It doesn’t make economic sense. You look at the Heart Hospital and what they’re doing in Bryant, it’s brilliant. They’re expanding their beds. The facility came into a phenomenal location. I think that’s the wave of the future, these smaller facilities. You can’t support 250 or 500 beds these days.”
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
1. As Arkansas’ first emergency hospital, Cabot Emergency Hospital offers both inpatient and outpatient services and features cutting-edge technology including bedside ultrasound, digital radiology, CT scan, MRI, and a comprehensive clinical lab. Suburban Lonoke County hospital model thrives amid pandemic, hints at expansion.
2. Dr. Charles Mason, a board certified emergency medicine physician at Cabot Emergency Hospital, checks on a patient at Cabot Emergency Hospital. Mason, a Little Rock native, has been an integral part of the emergency medical field in the Central Arkansas area for over 30 years.
3. Dr. Brian Baird, who obtained his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2010, makes his rounds with local emergency room patients in Cabot. Baird is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and has experience in several high-volume emergency departments across Arkansas.
4. “Our physicians do a remarkable job of showing their appreciation day-in and day-out.” said Nicole McMinn
5. “I think there was a little bit of a learning curve initially, but very quickly the community embraced our model, and we were able to see people from a further radius than I think even we originally anticipated.” said Nathan Jeffers
6. “Our goal is, and always will be, at this point to continue to make Cabot the greatest success that it can be. But I think [expansion] is always in the back of our minds,” -Dr. Justin White
