Excela finishes switching Westmoreland Hospital to all private rooms

Published: Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 12:01a.m.

A patient no longer will have to ask for a private room at any of the three hospitals operated by Excela Health.

On Saturday, Excela officials converted the last of its hospitals Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg to all private rooms, health system officials said.

Private rooms are the norm in new construction, said Maryann Singley, vice president of patient care services at Westmoreland Hospital.

The concept is wellness-oriented and promotes rest and recovery by removing the added distractions of another person sharing the room.

Latrobe Hospital converted all its rooms to single-patient in 2011. Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant changed its rooms as part of remodeling done in 2012-13, a spokeswoman said.

I don't think it's a question of competitiveness as much as it is patient preference and the trends nationally in admissions, Excela spokeswoman Robin Jennings said.

Hospital admissions are down nationwide, in part because of more surgeries being done via outpatient procedures, she explained. The outpatient surgeries have freed more spaces in hospital rooms.

A patient in a private room has fewer people entering each day, reducing the patient's perception about noise and busyness, Singley said.

One patient to a room further enhances the ability to have face-to-face conversations about diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, Excela officials said.

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Excela finishes switching Westmoreland Hospital to all private rooms