Mather Hospital has three critical care units: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the most critically ill patients who require intensive monitoring and care; Coronary Care Unit (CCU) for those patients requiring intensive care and monitoring for cardiac-related conditions; and the Intermediate Care Unit, an intermediary unit designed for patients who require greater attention but not intensive attention. The Step-Down unit is a step between the ICU and the traditional medical/surgical units.
Mather’s three critical care units are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by intensivists and physicians who care for the most critically ill patients in the hospital.
Studies show that ICU patients whose care is managed by intensivists recover more quickly and achieve greater clinical outcomes overall. Intensivists, usually pulmonologists, with advanced critical care training, are the primary caregivers for the critical care patients, coordinating round-the-clock care and monitoring and communicating with the patient’s primary care physician, other specialists and family members.