EIRMC Services and Specialties

Outpatient Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Pathology Services are offered to all age groups. Skilled health care professionals with diverse backgrounds and clinical expertise provide the services. Programming is designed to assist individuals with impairments and limitations in activity and/or participation. These impairments and limitations may be due to injury, congenital abnormalities, the aging process or emotional, psychological or developmental problems.

Critical Care Unit (CCU)
Multidisciplinary intensive care unit. Pediatric and adult admissions accepted. Procedures include, but are not limited to:
open heart surgery, hemodynamic monitoring, neurosurgery, intracranial pressure monitoring, continual EEG monitoring and intra-aortic balloon pumping.

Diabetes Education Program
EIRMC offers Diabetes Education by a team of Certified Diabetes Educators through a combination of individual and group sessions. One-to-One consultations are accompanied with several group classes, i.e. Understanding and using your blood glucose results, reducing the risks of heart and blood vessel disease in Diabetes, expanding your meal planning skills, COPING - stress and the emotional aspects of Diabetes, long-term complications: causes, prevention and screening, shopping for good nutrition. For more information contact The Wellness Center, (208) 529-6700.

Electrodiagnostics (EEG)
Services available: EEG (routine and long-term monitoring), evoked potential, audio, visual, somatosensory, brain mapping, infant hearing screening, nerve conduction velocity.

Emergency Department
The Emergency Department is a Level 3 Trauma Center with 24-hour staffing of physicians board-certified/eligible in Emergency Medicine. Also, the Emergency Department is staffed by nurses with specialized credentials in Emergency Nursing. EIRMC employs a triage system for classifying emergency patients ensuring prompt treatment. The Emergency Department is a 30-bed unit with specialized rooms for trauma, cardiac, pediatric, orthopedic, obstetrics/gynecology, and ear, nose and throat and offers immediate access to CT Scanning and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Helicopter patient transport capability allows the Emergency Department to serve emergency patients within a 250-mile radius.

Endoscopy Center
Services available: Bronchoscopy, Colonoscopy, Gastroscopy, ERCP, Flexible Sigmoidoscopy, All procedures related to the procedures previously mentioned.

Hyperbaric Medicine
For Wounds that Time Won't Heal
Sometimes the healing process needs a boost. Thanks to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), patients with tough wounds and other conditions can heal better and faster at EIRMC.

Intermediate Medical Care Unit (IMC)
A 20-bed step-down intensive care unit that provides a higher nurse-patient ratio than the floor for more frequent observation. Specializes in cardiac and cardiac-related diseases with on-unit heart monitoring and invasive line capability.

Interpreting Services
EIRMC offers the services of a number of interpreters such as Japanese, Spanish, German, Russian and Signing since we are a regional hospital whose service radius includes Yellowstone National Park, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and a large farming industry.

Laboratory

Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Laboratory is a full service laboratory and transfusion center. Laboratory services offer testing in the following areas:

• MICROBIOLOGY/IMMUNOLOGY
• CHEMISTRY
• HEMATOLOGY/COAGULATION
• HISTOLOGY/CYTOLOGY
• BLOOD BANK

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  Microbiology/Immunology: Microbiology is responsible for identifying disease-causing bacteria, parasites, or viruses and monitoring the body's immune response to disease. This department performs culturing and identification of bacteria, fungus, yeast, herpes, and chlamydia from a variety of sources. Some of the newer automated instruments that are used in the Micro lab are the "bactec 9240" which hastens recovery of organisms in the blood stream and the "Micro-Scan Walkaway 40 LSI" which aids in organism identification and susceptibility testing. MIC/Kirby Bauer sensitivities are performed for antibiotic therapy. A number of general serological screening tests are provided including rubella, RA (rheumatoid arthrities) testing, ASO titers (anti streptolysin, mono and RSV tests (respiratory syncytial virus).

  Chemistry: The Chemistry Department provides a full range of routine procedures to analyze the chemical composition of blood and body fluids, monitor therapeutic drugs, and screen for drugs of abuse. Special chemistry procedures include serum and electrophoresis and abnormal protein identification. Chemistry utilizes sophisticated instrumentation including Dade Behring Dimensions for routine chemistry profiles; DPC Immulite 2000 for esoteric tests and Bayer Chirons for blood gas analysis. Other single analyte instruments are available for carbon monoxide testing, cystic fibrosis screening and fetal lung maturity. Chemistry is also responsible for monitoring all bedside laboratory testing and tests sent to reference laboratories.

  Hematology/Coagulation: Hematology provides a comprehensive test menu that counts, describes, and identifies cells in blood and other body fluids. This information is used to detect anemia and leukemias among other diseases. Hematology provides complete blood counts, five-part screening, differential, automated retic counts, manual and bone marrow differentials, body fluid cell counts, and a number of miscellaneous hematological procedures.
  Coagulation provides screening tests for clotting abnormalities as well as extensive factor assay workups.
  Equipment is state-of-the-art. Beckman Coulter cell counters, the GENS and LH750. Coagulation instrumentation includes the Sysmex 1500, 6000 and Diagnostica Stago ST4.
  Automated Urinalysis by IRIS. The IRIS utilizes a closed flow cell, a microscope with both low and high power objectives and a camera equipped with a strobe light for stop action. As the particles pass through the flow cell, they are sized and the images displayed on a video monitor where they are edited for the enumeration of cell types.

  
  

  Blood Bank: The Blood Bank is responsible for supplying the ever-increasing demand for blood products and ensuring safe transfusions. The full-service transfusion department utilizes gel technology and provides compatibility testing, blood typing, antibody screening and identification. Other tests include prenatal screening and Rh Immune Globulin workups.

  Histology/Cytology: The Histology department studies the structure, composition, and function of tissues removed from patients during surgery for study by the pathologist. Each tissue sample is finely cut, mounted on slides, and stained with special dyes so the cell structure can be seen. This department provides a comprehensive surgical pathology service. The Cytology department screens cell samples to detect early signs of cancer and other diseases. One of the principal functions is the detection of cancer of the cervix via the familiar PAP smear.

  
  
  Level 3 Trauma Center
  Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center became verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) as a Level 3 Trauma Center in Sept. 2004. The ACS has a rigorous verification process in order to ensure that a hospital is capable of caring for the severely injured patient. Facilities must meet certain standards of care, have staff that is trained in caring for the trauma patient, have certain technological capabilities, have care available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, have an outreach program for referring facilities, and an injury prevention program. A Level 3 Trauma Center will transfer some patients with certain complex injuries, such as burns and reimplantations, to a higher level of care.
  
  The trauma center uses a multi-disciplinary team approach in caring for the trauma patient from pre-hospital through rehabilitation. Care of the trauma patient begins in the pre-hospital setting with highly trained ambulance-based paramedics and the Air Idaho flight crew (pilot, RN and paramedic). On arrival to the hospital, the patient is met by the trauma team, assessed, resuscitated and stabilized. Led by the trauma surgeon (a general surgeon) the team is comprised of the ED physician and nurses, anesthesia, orthopedic and neurosurgeons, lab, x-ray, respiratory therapy, CT technician, pharmacy, social services, and other specialists as needed. High levels of care are continued throughout the course of the patients' stay. Continuity of care and improved patient outcomes are ensured by this multidisciplinary team approach.
  
  
  Medical-Neurological Care
  RN and LPN nursing care for acute and chronic medical illnesses. These include oncology, diabetes, renal failure, chemotherapy, diabetic teaching, radiation therapy, limited dialysis, thrombolytic agent therapy, infectious disease, respiratory ailments, acute and chronic neurological care (CVA, TIA, tumors, spinal fractures, spinal cord injuries, pre and post neurological surgery and trauma) and telemetry rooms. This unit contains 44 private rooms.
  
  Open Heart
  Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center is fortunate to have one of the premier open heart programs in the country. Led by physicians, Dr. Denyer and Dr. Hodson, our program boasts a 97% beating heart, or, off pump procedure rate. Nationally, this procedure has greatly reduced the complication associated with open heart surgery. Frequently, physicians and nurses from other hospitals visit EIRMC to see our team function.
  
  Dr. Denyer has just been appointed to the HCA Cardiovascular Clinical Management Network. He and Dr. Hodson have recently been recognized as two of the top C.V. surgeons within the HCA system.
  
  Consistently, the outcome measures at EIRMC exceed the national averages. For further information about our open heart program, please call Steve Gudmonson, Cardiology Program Coordinator. His e-mail is steve.gudmonson@hcahealthcare.com and his phone number is 208-529-6193.
  
  
  
  Outpatient Surgery (AM Admit)
  Surgical pre-admission clinic 9am-4pm, Monday through Friday. Please call or have your surgeon call, 529-7225 for an appointment. Walk-ins are accepted on a space available basis. This clinic is for pre-opaterative patients requiring a visit with an Anesthesia provider and or needing lab-work, EKG or x-rays as ordered by your surgeon. All surgery patients are admitted through the Surgical Admissions area and are able to report to that area on the second floor approximately 2 hours before your surgery scheduled time. The staff from the Surgical admissions area will be calling you to do a pre-operative history approximately 2 days before your date of surgery. The staff will then call you again the day before to give you your arrival time.
  It is preferred you do not bring children under the age of 12 to wait while the patient is in Surgery. If you do need to bring young children, they must always have adult supervision.
  
  Outpatient Surgery (Day Surgery)
  Services available are: Angiogram and myelogram admission, Day surgery, Endoscopy, pre-admission interview, pre-admission testing (lab, X-ray, EKG, etc), post-operative care.
  All Day Surgery patients need to be scheduled through Surgery. Surgery will then inform the Day Surgery staff what has been scheduled. Patients must register through the Admissions Desk unless otherwise instructed by the Day Surgery staff when calling the patient. Children under the age of 12 are not allowed in the surgery waiting room and must always have adult supervision.
  
  Pastoral Care Services
  Services available: Counseling and support for patients, families and employees. Consultation on pastoral ministry is available for local clergy and congregations. Education programs are available for the community in self-esteem enhancement and stress management. There is no charge for counseling to inpatients. Most denominations are represented, but there are regularly scheduled non-denominational services on Sundays.
  
  Pharmacy
  EIRMC has an in-house Pharmacy that uses a robot and Acudose drug delivery. The department provides clinical pharmacy services to all nursing areas. An excellent staff of clinical pharmacists and technicians provides services twenty-four seven. These include Pharm D.s, masters and registered pharmacists as well as pharmacy technicians and registered nurse technicans. The pharmacy is currently involved with Idaho State University in its extern program. The Pharmacy offers a full range of IV admixture services from antibiotics and hyeralimentation to thrombolytic therapy. Pharmacy features a very successful pharmokinetics program in addition to monitoring patient drug therapy.
  
  Psychiatric Adolescent Residential Treatment
  Teton Peaks is a residential treatment center for troubled youth between the ages of 12 and 17. The center is designed for adolescents who are mentally, emotionally, or behaviorally impaired to the degree that they require long-term treatment in a secure environment. The program is also designed for those who require continuing care after acute psychiatric hospitalization or who need 24-hour therapeutic program less restrictive than inpatient hospitalization. For more information about Teton Peaks, please visit us at www.tetonpeaks.com.
  
  Psychiatric Behavioral Health Center (BHC)
  The Behavioral Health Center (BHC) is a facility of EIRMC that is located at 2280 E 25th Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho, which is about 1/2 mile from the main hospital campus. The Behavior Health Center is a 70-bed inpatient psychiatric facility that offers four different programs. There are three short-term acute care, inpatient programs: Adult Special Care Program, Daybreak Adult Inpatient Program and the Adolescent Program. There is also a long-term program for adolescents—Teton Peaks Residential Treatment Program. The Behavioral Health Center provides a safe, comfortable facility and effective programs to provide effective psychiatric evaluation and treatment services.
  
  

  Specialized staff at the Behavioral Health Center include psychiatrists who are board certified in general psychiatry and/or child & adolescent psychiatry, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, mental health therapists, recreation therapists, social workers, dieticians, occupational therapists and psychiatric technicians. The Behavioral Health Center offers a 24-hour crisis intervention and intake department that provides assistance to people experiencing a variety of mental health problems. For more information or to inquire about help please call 208-227-2157.
  
  Psychiatric Child/Adolescent Acute Care Services
  The adolescent program is a unit for teenagers between 12 and 17 years of age. It is designed to meet the acute care psychiatric needs of adolescents who may be: dangerous to self or others; unable to provide for their own health or safety; behaviorally or emotionally dysfunctional so as to require the structural boundaries of hospitalization; in need of diagnostic treatment services that cannot be obtained in any setting other than as an inpatient.

  
  

  The children's program, scheduled to be opened spring of 2006 will serve preschool and older school (latency) age youngsters 6-11. Children may be admitted to this program based on educational, psychosocial, and psychosexual levels of functioning. This program is designed to meet patient's needs in a short-term acute care psychiatric hospital setting. Children to be admitted are those who are deemed to be "at risk" or who are dangerous to themselves or others, behaviorally disordered as to need a structured or restricted environment, or those in need of treatment that cannot be obtained other than as an inpatient. Services include diagnostic assessment of a wide variety of psycho educational, psychosocial, psychological, and medical screening technologies. In addition, family therapy is an integral part of the child's overall treatment program.
  
  Psychiatry
  There are two separate adult inpatient units. These units are designed to accommodate the specific individual needs for adults over 18 years of age. Patients that require inpatient treatment may meet one or more of the following criteria: failure of outpatient services, a danger to themselves or others, unable to provide for personal health and safety, or behaviorally dysfunctional so as to require a structured and restricted supportive setting.
  
  Pulmonary Medicine (Pulmonary Rehabilitation)
  Pulmonary Rehabilitation services available: Education on lung diseases, what patients can do to help themselves, an endurance exercise program, a smoking cessation program for inpatients or outpatients and free initial evaluation for the program. Unit can help patients with COPD, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, asthma and cystic fiberosis. Another service available is the "Easy Breathers" Club that is a support group for individuals and their families to assist them in dealing with problems associated with their cardio-pulmonary disease. The group meets the last Wednesday of each month.
  
  Radiology (Imaging Center)
  The Imaging Center, a department of EIRMC, is located at 1670 John Adams Parkway. Our intent is to offer convenient and comfortable outpatient diagnostic testing. The Imaging Center offers precise testing without many of the time consuming steps other settings may take. In many cases, lab appointments are not necessary. If you will be receiving any diagnostic testing, consider your new choice...
  Specializing in BREAST BIOPSIES, MAMMOGRAPHY, ULTRASOUND, BONE DENSITOMETRY & LABWORK.
  
  
  
  
  Radiology (Medical Imaging)
  Radiology Services available: Diagnostic radiology, general radiography and fluoroscopy, Tomography, Special procedures, Ultrasound, Nuclear medicine, Computerized tomography (CT) scanning, Mammography, Digital and conventional angiography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
  
  Respiratory Therapy
  Services available: All respiratory therapy, Rhino Therm Therapy, Pulmonary function tests - spirometry, diffusion testing, lung volumes involving body plethysmograph and airway resistance, Pulmonary stress testing, Metabolic testing and complete sleep studies.
  
  Sleep Disorder
  Under Construction
  
  Social Services
  The Social Services Department at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center realizes that hospitalization can be a frightening and overwhelming experience. Members of the Social Services staff play a vital role in providing comprehensive care for the patient population. The Social Worker helps patients and their families through stressful situations by providing emotional support and information regarding insurance, identifying financial resources and community agencies and by finalizing arrangements in anticipation of discharge from the hospital.
  
  Surgical/Orthopedic Care
  Scope of care and services include, but are not limited to: Pre/post general surgery, Pre/post orthopedic surgery, Pre open-heart surgery, Telemetry monitoring. The Surgical/Orthopedic division delineates it's scope to include identification of human responses to health problems and planning and implementation of appropriate intervention to promote wellness; implementation of the medical plan of care as directed by the physician; and coordination of the patient's hospital stay. Care and services are provided by RN's, LPN's, Aides, Orderlies and Unit Secretaries.
  
  Women Services
  

  Family Centered Care Mission Statement

  Our staff is dedicated to providing a family centered atmosphere where mothers and families can be the preferred care providers of their newborn. Our dedication, resources, and follow-up will foster the needs, desires and educational opportunities to support our family units in providing the best possible care.

  • LABOR & DELIVERY
  • PEDIATRICS
  • WOMEN'S CENTER
  • NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU)
  • NURSERY
  • LACTATION SERVICES

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    Labor & Delivery: The birthing experience at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center is tailored to meet the needs and desires of the woman and her baby. Family centered approach includes the ability to walk in labor, have family present for delivery, and the opportunity for rooming in. The highly skilled nursing staff has more than 250 years combined experience in caring for low and high-risk patients. As the regional referral center, and in combination with the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), EIRMC has the ability to provide the highest level of care necessary to treat unexpected circumstances. For patients choosing an epidural for pain control in labor, twenty-four hour coverage is provided. In addition, two designated operating rooms in the labor and delivery unit can accommodate C-sections or Post-Partum Tubal Ligations. There's even a "goody" bag for dad and flavored ice chips for mom.

    
    

    Pediatrics: The pediatric unit consists of 10 private rooms which offer a "child friendly" environment, provides skilled nursing care, and age appropriate activities. Medical services are provided by a group of highly skilled physicians who confer with specialists from Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City whenever necessary. Social workers are available for any needs of the patients or families. The unit also provides a pediatric cardiac clinic for the needs of Southeastern Idaho children. Our staff is dedicated to the needs of children and their families that are cared for at EIRMC.

    
    

    Women's Center: Women's Surgical/Maternity Center provides care for post partum, stabilized high-risk antepartum and GYN surgical patients. Post-Partum moms and dads can experience a specially prepared "Stork" dinner with a personalized gift. Individualized education, guidance and support are provided on the unit including breastfeeding assistance. Special needs of women experiencing GYN reconstructive surgeries are compassionately addressed by nursing staff. Social Services are available for any needs of the patients or families. The recent addition of cosmetic surgeries has been a valuable service for our patients. Patients will enjoy checking into Women's Center for their cosmetic procedure and being followed by a dedicated team of nurses who meet their privacy and individualized needs. The experience is supported by a private room in which to recover, specialized nursing care and recovery, and a private exit.

    
    

    Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): The NICU provides services for our smallest patients, from premature infants to sick "term" newborns. Our services include specially trained nursing care, ventilator support, and 24 hour a day monitoring. Pediatric intensive care patients under the age of four are also cared for within the NICU. Medical care is provided by the area?s only neonatologist, who specializes in the smallest, sickest babies. He is assisted by an experienced nursing staff dedicated to the physical and developmental needs of babies. Special attention is provided to foster the every need of our tiny patients and their families. A licensed social worker is available at all times to assist with any parent/patient and family needs.

    Nursery: The full-scope Term Nursery provides skilled nursing care to facilitate the newborn transition after birth. The staff assists the family in learning to care for their newborn, and provides the opportunities a family desires in the immediate newborn period. Our certified Car Seat Technicians will also give instruction on placing your newborn safely in a car seat and assist with proper installation. Family members may post pictures of their infant free of charge on the EIRMC website for viewing.

    
    

    Lactation Services: In addition to our nurses providing breastfeeding support, a board-certified Lactation Consultant is on staff and available to assist you during your hospital stay. The support and expertise provided to you will help facilitate a successful feeding program and meet the needs of your baby, from premature to term infant. If further assistance is needed, the Lactation Consultant can be reached by phone for questions or concerns at 208-529-7171.

    
    
    
    
    Wound Care
    Wound Care At EIRMC, we have a team of professionals with advanced wound care training. We offer the latest in wound care technology. Our advanced training, combined with a continually updated product line, allows us to achieve optimal clinical and economical outcomes. For our patients, this means fewer visits, faster healing, less pain and lower cost.