Karen Blum knows excellent patient care. An Emergency Department volunteer at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) for more than a decade, she now serves on the Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC) of New London Hospital (NLH) and worked with staff at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center to help set up its PFAC.
And NLH’s Express Care Plus checks all her boxes as an advisor—and as a patient.
Attentive and speedy care
Karen and her husband, Alfred, have been patients of Express Care Plus several times. Most recently, she missed a couple of steps in their garage and careened forward, fracturing her wrist and injuring her other hand and a foot as she fell. It was the weekend, so her husband brought her to Express Care Plus, where the physician assistant (PA) who treated her determined an X-ray was needed. As Express Care Plus is part of NLH, Karen was brought over to Radiology in a wheelchair and returned “within minutes.”
She reports being thrilled with the speed of her care and the personal attention she received. An orthopaedic appointment was set up for that Tuesday, and the PA called her later that afternoon to check on her and remind her of his instructions.
“I’ve never felt ignored there. I’ve have never been left in an exam room and never wait long [to receive care],” Karen says. “Express Care Plus is the best of all possible worlds. It fills the gap between your own physician and an emergency situation.”
Type B Emergency Department status
Express Care Plus opened at NLH in late 2021 and “Plus” was recently added to its name to better distinguish it from an urgent care service. Express Care Plus has always been a Type B Emergency Department, enabling elevated patient care. Non-life-threatening illnesses and conditions are treated, but patients also have access to on-site imaging, labs and medical specialists.
Its Type B Emergency Department status also means that Express Care Plus is licensed by the State of New Hampshire and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as an emergency care facility. Anyone seeking care at Express Care Plus that has an emergency medical issue will be treated, which is also required by law (per the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act).
Award-winning healthcare
Karen is not alone in her review of Express Care Plus. Its leadership and staff members are currently celebrating being honored with two 2025 Press Ganey Human Experience Awards for Patient Experience in both available categories: Pinnacle of Excellence and Guardian of Excellence.
The awards were determined by data benchmarks in service and safety over various periods of time (three years and one year, respectively) as well as survey feedback.
Press Ganey shares that the Human Experience Awards Program “recognizes healthcare organizations that consistently elevate human experience through proven performance in patient and consumer experience, employee and physician engagement, clinical quality, and safety.”
These Human Experience Awards align with Karen’s parting words about her experiences.
“All the staff we have ever met or used—doctors, PAs, nurses—are fabulous,” she says. “NLH seems to find people with great personalities that are fun to be with—they make it almost an enjoyable experience!”
Express Care Plus is open 7 days-a-week, Monday-Friday, 9 am-7 pm, Saturday, 9 am-5 pm and Sunday, 9 am-3 pm.