That's why when York Hospital decided to expand its sleep disorders laboratory, the decision was made to relocate it to the Comfort Inn and Suites, less than three miles south of the 558-bed facility.

Since it opened five months ago, patients have given two thumbs up to the sleep disorders laboratory. Although its location makes a lot of sense, York Hospital is one of only a few hospitals across the country to have its sleep disorders laboratory in a hotel-like environment.

"Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive," said Drew Walker, operations manager for Pulmonary Services. "Interestingly, the American Sleep Disorders Association recommends the goal for a patient recording room is to make the room as appealing as a pleasant hotel room or bedroom in a private home."

The hospital leases four rooms on the fifth floor year-round from the Comfort Inn for patient studies. A fifth room is used as a control room. The hospital leases the space for $84,000 a year, which is comparable to the costs of other off-site locations that were considered.
The lab operates five nights a week, completing four studies each night. Projections are to conduct 1,000 studies annually.

Prior to expanding and relocating, the York Hospital sleep lab was a two-bed unit. The lab increased its testing capacity by 50 percent in fiscal year '97. Despite the increased capacity, a significant backlog of two months remained for patients awaiting studies.

In an effort to improve patient services and physician satisfaction, a plan was developed for expansion. "Because adequate space that would meet our needs wasn't available at the hospital, we started to look at other locations such as our outpatient medical center and physician offices. They, however, didn't meet our needs, either," said Walker.

"Finally, someone suggested checking out the Comfort Inn. We met with the manager and he was excited about the possibility. The rooms and the location met our needs and improved patient service and physician satisfaction."