MedStar Georgetown University Hospital: A Comprehensive Overview of Services, History, and Achievements

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital stands as a cornerstone of healthcare in the Washington, D.C. area. As one of the region's oldest academic teaching hospitals, it combines a rich history with cutting-edge medical advancements. Co-located with the Georgetown University Medical Center and affiliated with the Georgetown University School of Medicine, MedStar Georgetown plays a vital role in medical education, research, and patient care.

Historical Foundation and Growth

Georgetown University Hospital was founded in 1898 as part of Georgetown University. The facility opened with 33 beds and was staffed by the Sisters of St. The hospital moved to its current location at 3800 Reservoir Road NW in Washington, D.C. in 1930. In 1988, the hospital was involved in the important United States Supreme Court case Bowen v.

Through its long-standing relationship with Georgetown University, the hospital collaborates in training students from both the School of Medicine, including nearly 500 residents and fellows annually, and the School of Nursing and Health Studies. This collaboration extends to the university's research enterprise, facilitating the translation of innovative therapies from the laboratory to the patient bedside.

In July 2000, Georgetown University entered into a partnership with MedStar Health, a not-for-profit organization. This partnership expanded MedStar Georgetown's reach and resources, enhancing its ability to provide comprehensive care.

Expansion and Modernization: The Verstandig Pavilion

In June 2017, the city zoning commission approved the construction of a new medical and surgical pavilion. Construction on the new pavilion began in early 2018. In November 2021, Grant Verstandig donated $50 million to the hospital for the construction of the new pavilion. The Verstandig Pavilion opened on December 10, 2023. Construction cost approximately $750 million. The building comprises approximately 477,000 square feet (44,300 m2), contains 31 operating rooms with intraoperative MRIs, a new emergency department containing 32 examination rooms, 156 private patient rooms, and a new rooftop helipad.

Comprehensive Clinical Services and Centers of Excellence

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is a not-for-profit, acute-care teaching and research hospital licensed for 609 beds located in Northwest Washington, D.C. MedStar Georgetown’s centers of excellence include neurosciences, transplant, cancer and gastroenterology. It is home to the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and centers of excellence in gastroenterology, neurology, neurosurgery, organ transplantation, psychiatry, and vascular surgery.

Cancer Care: Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center

The Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only facility in the Washington metropolitan area to be designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Comprehensive Care Center. Cancer care at Georgetown Lombardi is delivered through clinical partners at MedStar Health. Through this clinical partnership, Georgetown Lombardi serves as the research engine of a regional program - the MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute - extending the cancer center’s reach throughout the Washington/Baltimore area. The MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute integrates Georgetown Lombardi’s research into cancer prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and survivorship with clinical care, primarily at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and MedStar Washington Hospital Center, but also across the network of hospitals and ambulatory centers in the MedStar Health system. MedStar Georgetown University opened its Proton Therapy Center, offering the latest in cancer treatment to adults and children.

Transplant Institute

MedStar Georgetown's Transplant Institute is ranked among the best in the Mid-Atlantic region by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients for liver transplantation outcomes and is one of few centers in the country to provide living-donor liver transplants. In calendar year 2017, the MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute performed 20 bowel transplants, which makes MGTI #1 in the country for program volume during a time that saw a decreasing overall volume. This equates to MGTI performing nearly 20 percent of all intestine transplants in the country.

Specialized Clinical Resources

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital offers a wide array of specialized clinical resources, including:

Cardiac ICU: 19 Beds
Medical Surgical ICU: 38 Beds
Pediatric ICU: 5 Beds
Neonatal ICU: 33 Beds
Burn care
Physical rehabilitation
Psychiatric care: 13 Beds
Positron Emission Tomography
MRI

Academic and Research Integration

The research and education programs affiliated with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, including its residencies, fellowships, and clinical trials, continue to be administered by Georgetown University Medical Center. Clinical trials are research studies that test new drugs or combinations of drugs, treatments, or medical procedures to determine their safety and effectiveness.

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital works closely with the university's research enterprise to help bring innovative therapies from the scientific laboratory to the patient bedside.

Recognition and Achievements

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital has received numerous accolades for its commitment to quality and patient safety.

In 2004, the hospital was awarded Magnet Status by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). MedStar Georgetown was the first, and remains the only, hospital in Washington, D.C.
The C4-1 thoracic IMC unit was awarded the Silver Level Beacon Award. The Beacon Award is presented annually by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. It is a measure of an inpatient unit’s capacity to work as a team to provide the highest level of care to critically ill patients. The C4-2 medical intensive care unit and the C4-3 surgical intensive care unit were awarded the Gold Level Beacon Award for the fourth time!
The National Cancer Institute re-designated the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center as a comprehensive cancer center.
MedStar Georgetown recently became one of the first in the nation to earn the Program of Distinction designation from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
Named one of the 2018 “100 Great Hospitals in America” by Becker’s Healthcare. This honor recognizes MGUH for its excellence in clinical care, patient outcomes, and staff and physician satisfaction.
MedStar Georgetown was recently ranked in the national Vizient database as #1 in the nation for the prevention of central line-acquired bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and the incidence of iatrogenic pneumothorax (when a patient suffers a lung injury due to medical care in the hospital). These #1 rankings are based on recently released data from the 4th quarter of 2017.
MedStar Georgetown’s C6-2 inpatient medical/surgical unit became the first hospital in D.C. and the 22nd in the United States to receive the PRISM Award from the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board.
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital won the WRTC Silver Medal of Honor Award, which recognizes excellence in organ donor recruitment rates.
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Centers.
MedStar Georgetown’s Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy Program earned internationally-recognized accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) to now provide allogeneic and autologous transplantation. In addition, the program earned accreditation to provide cell-based immunotherapies, such as the rapidly developing treatments using autologous CAR T-cells in the treatment of lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. MedStar Georgetown has the only FACT-accredited adult stem cell and cellular immunotherapy program in the metropolitan Washington, D.C.
Three MedStar Georgetown inpatient units received the prestigious Beacon Award for Excellence in Nursing. The C4-3 Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) and 4 East earned the highest honor, the Gold Beacon Award; and the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) on C4-2, earned the Silver Beacon Award.
MGUH was recognized as a Pioneer in Quality Expert Contributor by Joint Commission.

Key Statistics

To further illustrate the scope and impact of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, consider the following statistics:

Number of FT personnel: 3595
Number of beds: 426
Number of bassinets: 17
Average daily census: 312
Annual births: 939
Annual admissions: 14975
Annual emergency department (ED) visits: 28044
Annual non-ED outpatient visits: 726426
Annual inpatient surgeries: 6786
Annual outpatient surgeries: 7426
Annual number of Medicare discharges: 6303
Annual number of Medicaid discharges: 1791

Medical School Affiliations and Program Partnerships

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital has affiliations with several medical schools:

Georgetown Univ Sch of Med
Howard Univ Coll of Med
Univ of New England Coll of Osteopathic Med
Uniformed Services Univ of the Hlth Sci F Edward Hebert Sch of Med
George Washington Univ Sch of Med and Health Sciences

tags: #medstar #georgetown #university #hospital #services