Both The Miriam Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital Emergency Departments have a dedicated 10 Bed observation unit that are run by the Emergency Department.  These units take care of a variety of diagnoses that include chest pain, TIA, Asthma/COPD , syncope, dehydration, cellulitis, renal colic, pyelonephritis and others.  Patients are managed in these units 365 days a year with the assistance of Advanced Practice Providers (APP) overseen by Brown Emergency Medicine employed physicians in collaboration with specialist/consultant physicians and our ED nursing staff. 

The CDU assists hospital flow by preserving inpatient beds for our higher acuity admits.  The CDU also helps manage stable patients from outside/community hospitals who are sent to RI Hospital to see a specialist.  This serves to reduce the wait time for patients who have often already spent a significant amount of time in a healthcare facility prior to their arrival at RI Hospital.

The CDU APP also has a quality assurance role in that they take calls from patients who have clinical questions regarding instructions or medications associated with a recent emergency department visit as well as receiving critical labs (positive cultures) on patients who have been seen in the ED and discharged recently.

For more information, Contact David Portelli, MD

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