University Medical Center announced today that it has introduced a comprehensive program to provide COVID-19 testing for every patient admitted to the hospital.
UMC is now the only hospital in Nevada to test all admitted patients for COVID-19.
By testing everyone who receives inpatient care, UMC has improved its ability to quickly identify and isolate patients with COVID-19 infections.
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“UMC’s new COVID-19 testing policy represents a key milestone for our community, providing new levels of safety for our patients and staff,” said UMC CEO Mason VanHouweling. “As a result of this valuable measure, community members can now rest assured that every single person receiving inpatient care at UMC has been tested for COVID-19.”
UMC also provides testing to all patients who visit UMC for medically necessary elective surgeries, including outpatient procedures that do not require admission to the hospital.
The inpatient testing expansion came as a result of UMC’s rapidly increasing in-house laboratory testing capacity.
With the ability to run 10,000 tests per day, UMC now offers the state’s highestcapacity COVID-19 testing lab.
As a result of UMC’s unique in-house testing capabilities, results are available within hours for admitted patients.
UMC has introduced a wide range of new policies to promote patient safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including strict health screenings at all entrances, expanded cleaning policies, additional hand sanitizing stations throughout the hospital and detailed social distancing guidelines.
“Our world-class team has worked tirelessly to provide patients with the safest possible care environment at UMC,” VanHouweling said. “With comprehensive safety measures in place across UMC, we look forward to continuing our mission to provide community members with access to Nevada’s highest level of care.”
