(WATERTOWN) People who show up at the emergency room in Watertown should see more consistent, experienced care under a new partnership recently announced.
Watertown Regional Medical Center is teaming up with Emergency Medicine Specialists, a Wisconsin-based physician group, to staff and support its emergency department. Hospital leaders say the change is designed to strengthen around-the-clock care and improve how quickly and effectively patients are treated.
Emergency departments rely on physician groups to make sure trained doctors are always available. With this partnership, the hospital gains access to a larger network of emergency physicians, along with established care protocols and workflows that are already used across the state.
For patients, that can mean shorter wait times, more standardized treatment, and care guided by the latest evidence-based practices. It also helps ensure that no matter when someone walks in — day or night — they are seen by clinicians who specialize in emergency medicine.
Some of the doctors already working in Watertown will stay in place. Dr. Robert Allen will continue as emergency department medical director, and Dr. Mikko Sayre will remain medical director for the city’s ambulance service.
Hospital leaders say the goal is to build on the care that’s already in place, not replace it. The emergency department treats about 15,000 patients each year and serves as a key access point for urgent care in the region.
The department is backed by specialists in areas like heart care, surgery, neurology and orthopedics, which allows patients with serious conditions — including strokes, heart attacks, or major injuries — to get advanced treatment quickly.
–Pictured: Emergency Medicine Specialists physicians, Dr. Katie Merideth and Dr. Allie Grace, as well as Dr. Robert Allen
