Following opening of $220M tower, UMass Memorial ER wait times are dropping

Photo I Courtesy of Danny Quin/UMass Memorial Health Dr. Eric Dickson, UMass Memorial Health president and CEO (right), shows Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll (left) the North Pavilion's technology allowing patients virtual visits with providers from other facilities.

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By Mica Kanner-Mascolo

New data shows the opening of UMass Memorial Health’s $220-million acute-care facility North Pavilion in Worcester has contributed to increased emergency department capacity and record-high transfers from other hospitals.

“The clear impact that we're having is that waits to be seen in the emergency department are going down, and that was an important goal for us,” UMass Memorial President and CEO Dr. Eric Dickson told WBJ during a Tuesday tour of the North Pavilion with Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll.

The North Pavilion has added 72 new beds to the healthcare system, representing an 8.8% increase to its existing 818 beds throughout three campuses. The facility stretches across 73,000 square feet with an extra 13,600 square feet of shell space to be utilized as the system continues to monitor patient needs.

“We really had a clogged emergency department because we couldn't get patients out to an inpatient room,” Dickson said. “As soon as we unclogged it with the new tower, we were able to see people quicker, and that's important when people have time sensitive illness.”

As of March, the emergency department at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester has been admitting five more patients per day than in March 2024, from 95 to 100 admissions per day, while the number of emergency department visits has remained unchanged, Michelle O'Rourke, chief nursing officer at UMMMC, wrote in an email to WBJ.

The number of declined transfers requests due to capacity issues has substantially decreased, with 17.9% of transfers declined in March as opposed to the 30.7% of last year. The emergency department had 619 accepted transfers last month, the highest number of accepted transfers since the hospital began tracking in 2023.

While the entirety of this data cannot be attributed to the North Pavilion’s opening, the facility has definitely made an impact that these statistics illustrate, Shelly Hazlett, UMass Memorial’s media and public relations director, wrote in an email to WBJ.

Dickson said staff satisfaction has substantially risen with the North Pavilion’s opening.

“Staff morale has been through the roof,” he said.

The North Pavilion’s light and airy rooms and hallways have contributed to this increased employee satisfaction, said Driscoll.

“You need a great environment where a workforce can thrive,” she said. “Obviously the ability to have real attention paid to patient care here, to be able to see the latest technology space for not only talented workforce, but also the technology to assist in these efforts everywhere. Every opportunity there is … to take advantage of that is terrific.”

All rooms in the North Pavilion are outfitted with interactive television systems to allow for patients to have virtual visits with doctors and specialists from other facilities, including UMass Memorial’s new Digital Hub.

“Anytime we need a higher level of care that can be provided here, we can bring that expert right into the room with us,” said Dickson.

Facilities like the North Pavilion, with its increased patient capacity and innovative technology, are critical to addressing the healthcare system pain points felt deeply across the state, said Driscoll. Workforce shortages and lack of access to care are major challenges throughout the commonwealth, and availability for treatment at primary care facilities, emergency departments, skilled nursing facilities, and the likes of the North Pavilion all play integral roles in achieving equitable access.

“That's the ecosystem that we're trying to create in Massachusetts, that those spaces are available when you need them,” said Driscoll.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.