Up to 25 per cent of discharged SAH patients without family doctor

The shortage of family doctors in Sault Ste. Marie is a worry for Sault Area Hospital when it comes to discharging patients.

“We had 15 per cent of our patients discharged with no primary care provider,” said Ila Watson, SAH president and CEO addressing the hospital’s board of directors at its regular monthly meeting held Monday.

That figure comes from a SAH look at its own numbers from Friday.

“That continues to be a concern,” Watson told the board.

“It tends to be a daily percentage of between 15 and 20, sometimes up to 25 per cent, so that will need some focused attention,” Watson said.

There is a high priority need for family doctors in Sault Ste. Marie as well as a need for obstetricians/gynecologists, psychiatrists, general internists and hospitalists.

SAH doctors worry that without follow up by a family doctor, a patient’s condition can deteriorate and lead to a return to SAH through its emergency department.

“It does impact all sorts of aspects of the function of our hospital,” said Dr. Silvana Spadafora, SAH chief of staff.

“It is a concern.”

“When the only availability of accessing these services is through the emergency department it puts a strain on the system,” Spadafora said.

Watson said SAH is working with its healthcare partners in finding solutions.

Watson, in her report to the board, added that SAH’s emergency department is receiving 140 patients a day, 25 per cent of those patients by ambulance.

As far as alternate level of care patients are concerned, Watson said SAH had 51 ALC patients as of Monday.

ALC patients from Cedarwood Lodge are high on the priority list in being placed in ALC beds elsewhere.

“We do have five patients matched for beds in long term care this week so that will help with those numbers,” Watson said.