Wilkes-Barre General Hospital
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is Northeastern Pennsylvania’s largest community hospital with 412 beds and a medical staff of more than 400 physicians representing nearly 50 medical and surgical specialties. The hospital is an accredited Level II Trauma Center and treats nearly 60,000 patients each year in its emergency department.
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital has long been recognized for excellence in heart and vascular care, and offers advanced treatment for wide-ranging specialties, including orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery and minimally invasive robotic-assisted procedures. Read our Patient Guide.
Accredited Geriatric Emergency Room
The accredited geriatric emergency department at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is one of just three emergency departments in Pennsylvania – and the only one in Northeastern PA – to achieve accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). As the area's only Accredited Geriatric ER, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is dedicated to providing specialized emergency care to our aging population and is focused on providing the highest level of care for our patients, their families and our community.
Emergency Services For Seniors:
- Online Scheduling
- 30-Minute ER Pledge
- Valet Parking
- Behavioral Health Services
- Chest Pain Center
- Stroke Center
- Advanced Specialty Care
- Full-Time RN Case Manager
- Physician and Nurse Champion with Advanced Training Specifically for Older Adults
Trauma Center
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is accredited as a Level II Trauma Center by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation.
Attaining this accreditation means Wilkes-Barre General Hospital has shown it has the resources immediately available to provide optimal treatment to patients with the most serious life-threatening and disabling injuries.
Heart and Vascular Institute
The Commonwealth Heart and Vascular Institute at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital offers a range of cardiac care, from an array of diagnostic and interventional cardiology to open-heart surgery and rehabilitation. The Heart and Vascular Institute is directly above the emergency department and near the existing operating rooms to ensure rapid diagnosis and treatment.
Chest Pain Center - The Chest Pain Center at the Heart and Vascular Institute is fully accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. The unit is designed to improve the evaluation and treatment of chest pain, reduce length of stay, improve ED-to-bed time, and to help eliminate gridlock within the hospital telemetry areas.
Stroke Center - Accredited by the Joint Commission, our Primary Stroke Center strives to offer stroke patients the absolute finest stroke care and treatment options available.
Stroke Telemedicine - Patients arriving at the emergency department showing symptoms of stroke have immediate access to the county’s top neuroscience specialists through the Jefferson Neuroscience Network. This collaboration connects Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, with all Commonwealth Health hospitals.
Through this stroke telemedicine program, local patients have around-the-clock access to the specialists at Jefferson Health using Jefferson Expert Teleconsulting, or JET, a high-tech, mobile robotic teleconsulting system that is covered by the top neuroscience physicians in Philadelphia.
Specialized software and robotic equipment at Commonwealth Health hospitals enable the Jefferson Health neuro-specialist to examine patients remotely while speaking directly with the clinical team at Commonwealth, the patient and their family members.
Robotics
This program gives our surgeons the technology to provide patients more options and achieve better outcomes, while providing an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy. In robotic surgery, the surgeons’ hands are at the controls of a high-tech robotic platform that enables them to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions.
Surgeons have access to the hospital’s two robots which utilize the most advanced features in robotic-assisted surgery.
Epicenter - One of the first Epicenters for robotic general surgery in the country, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is a training site for surgeons to observe routine and complex robotic-assisted general surgery cases. Doctors and entire surgical teams from around the United States visit Wilkes-Barre General to observe sophisticated, minimally invasive procedures.
Orthopedics
Joint Center
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital’s orthopedics program has been designated a Blue Distinction Center-Plus for spine surgery and a Blue Distinction Center for knee and hip replacement surgery by Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
Our Joint Center features a team of skilled, experienced orthopedic surgeons, nurses and other health care professionals who provide the latest in orthopedic treatment and surgical techniques. While we explore alternatives to surgery whenever possible, we perform nearly 2,000 surgical procedures (including arthroscopic and reconstructive techniques) each year.
- Robotic-assisted surgical technology - Orthopedic surgeons at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital are using robotic-assisted technology to perform knee replacement surgery. Designed to help ensure knee replacement is positioned and aligned correctly, surgeons use this equipment to enable optimal implant placement for better patient outcomes.
Breast Imaging Center of Excellence
The Women’s Imaging Center at the Thomas P. Saxton Medical Pavilion, Edwardsville, has earned designation as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR), a recognition granted to facilities that meet stringent accreditation requirements for mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy.
The center offers digital breast tomosynthesis, also known as 3D mammography, a revolutionary new screening and diagnostic breast imaging tool to improve the early detection of breast cancer.
Center for Advanced Endoscopy
The Commonwealth Health Center for Advanced Endoscopy at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is on the first floor of the hospital and includes four procedure rooms, 11 pre- and post-operative recovery bays and a waiting area.
A team of highly specialized experts perform specialty procedures in this center including:
- Colonoscopy
- Gastroscopy
- pH monitoring
- Esophageal motility
- Anal manometry
- Enteroscopy
- Bravo esophageal pH testing
- Stent placement
- Percutaneous gastroscopy
- Colon decompression
- Bronchoscopy
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP)
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy