
Institute and Location
HealthPartners Institute
The Regions Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency is sponsored by the HealthPartners Institute. The Institute is the clinical learning arm of HealthPartners and consists of the Office for Health Professional Education, which administers residencies at Regions Hospital, HealthPartners Clinical Simulation and Regions Hospital Medical Library. The Medical Director of Education for the Health Professional Institute is Felix Ankel, MD, former program director for the Emergency Medicine Residency. The executive director of Health Professional Education is Kelly Frisch, MD, who is also the Regions Hospital designated institution official.
Department Head Update
Regions hospital plays a critical role in providing emergency care throughout the Twin Cities greater metro and western Wisconsin communities. The number of patients choosing Regions for emergency medical care is increasing and we are prepared. The emergency department’s vision to be a center of excellence for high quality affordable emergency care and a center of education and research excellence is the focus of department goals. With this vision in mind, our goals focus around ultrasound education, patient satisfaction, introducing a split flow emergency department, changes in the model of care of our psychiatric patients and designing a new ambulance arrival center.
Our emergency residents play critical roles in development of hospital and department quality and patient safety projects. Highlights are a hospital wide point of care ultrasound education program, treatment of sepsis patients using alerts and reviewing ordering patterns, instituting a prehospital EMS direct to CT scanner protocol that is seeing record arrival to clot buster results, reviewing best practice and instituting a safe hand-over process, and operationalizing an educational workshop for the entire department supporting the best patient experience.
The emergency medicine department at Regions is built on relationships of trust and confidence. I look forward to continued opportunities to engage, lead, and sustain the changes needed in the emergency healthcare system to benefit the health of the community we serve.

Kurt Isenberger, MD

Regions Hospital ED
The Regions Hospital Emergency Center is a Level I Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center located in St. Paul, MN, serving the east metropolitan Twin Cities area, including western Wisconsin. The emergency department (ED) is comprised of 50,000 square feet of clinical space with 55 treatment rooms. An additional 8,000 square feet houses the resident room, library, conference space and administrative offices.
The emergency department includes private rooms, in-department radiology suite, discharge pharmacy, waiting room and triage area, employee lounge and locker room, and five care areas (pods), including an 11-bed care pod for our crisis/behavioral health patients.
2022 Emergency Center Stats:
- 89,869 Patient Visits (highest patient volume year at Regions ever)
- 4.7% Pediatric Patients (< 16)
- 11% Mental Health Patients
- 4060 Trauma Admissions
- 898 Trauma Team Activations (2nd highest year on record)
- 25% Admission Rate
- 65.8% Of all hospital admissions come out of the ED
In 2022, our work focused on:
- Operating as a System: Identify alignment opportunities for ED policies and practice across the organization.
- Digitize and Automate: Implement 2 way texting communication between physicians via Epic Secure Chat and direct texting to patients/families in the waiting room.
- Innovate and Differentiate: Complete triage redesign to improve operational flow and physical space, and champion myChart registration for all patients who visit the emergency department.
- Deepen Consumer Affinity: Personalize each visit.
- Evolve Culture; Transform Work: Design and implement staff recognition and engagement plan, utilize multidisciplinary simulation curriculum/plan for patient safety and communication, and enhance offerings for staff resiliency.
- Advance Health Equity: Bridge health equity data analysis with patient experience.
Participating Institutions
Childrens Hospitals & Clinics
Children’s Hospital – St. Paul is a 116-bed acute care pediatric hospital. There are approximately 32,500 annual visits to the emergency department. The hospital trains residents in pediatrics, family practice, emergency medicine as well as other specialties.
Children’s Hospital – Minneapolis is a 163 bed acute care pediatric hospital with an active emergency department. The hospital trains residents in pediatrics, family practice, emergency medicine as well as other specialties.
Emergency medicine residents have three four-week rotations at Children’s Hospital. First years spend 4 weeks at Children’s Hospital Minneapolis. Second and Third year residents spend 4 weeks at Children’s hospital St. Paul.
Children’s Hospital St. Paul Emergency Department has seven full-time pediatric emergency physicians who supervise residents. Residents see all pediatric emergency department patients under supervision of the pediatric emergency medicine attendings.
Hudson Hospital
As part of the HealthPartners family of care since 2009, we embrace a patient and family centered approach to caring for our community. You will find a healing environment, exceptional medical services and personalized family attention – all part of your care at Hudson Hospital & Clinic. At Hudson Hospital & Clinic, we understand balance – a balance of the best medical care and a positive experience. At the heart of this effort is our healing environment, which is a multi-faceted, internationally celebrated program.
Lakeview Hospital
You’ll find exceptional medical care at Lakeview Hospital and Stillwater Medical Group. We’re part of the HealthPartners care system, serving communities throughout Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.
As part of HealthPartners, we work closely with the world class team at Regions Hospital, and many of our doctors treat patients at both hospitals. But that doesn’t mean our patients in the valley need to travel for top critical care. Lakeview is a Level III Trauma Hospital and the best-equipped in the area. Here you have access to award-winning health care, close to home.
We’re proud to be a part of the St. Croix Valley community. To us, doing our part means serving patients and building healthy communities on both sides of the river – from Prescott to Taylors Falls and beyond. That’s why we work closely with our partner hospitals and clinics in the region, including Amery, Westfields and Hudson Hospital.
Methodist Hospital
Located in St. Louis Park, Methodist Hospital provides you with excellent care, close to home. We’re among America’s highest performing hospitals in clinical quality, patient satisfaction and more. Our combined hospital and specialty center campus offers you the support of a team of experts in over 50 specialties.
Our combined hospital and specialty center campus is home to experts in over 50 different specialties. The care you need is always close to home. Our board-certified doctors, specialists and nurses work together as a team to create a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to you. Your health and recovery is our top priority.
St. Croix Regional Medical Center
For over 100 years, SCRMC has been serving healthcare needs of the greater St. Croix Valley area. Today, SCRMC offers the services of 80+ providers and 20 specialties with five community clinics all supported by a critical access hospital on the main campus in St. Croix Falls, WI.
St. Croix Regional Medical Center works to fulfill the healthcare needs of the communities it serves. Living and working through the SCRMC Mission and Values is a priority and focus on all of the campuses as we strive to exceed expectations.
North Memorial Medical Center
North Memorial Health Care is a 379 bed community hospital and regional trauma center in the northwestern quadrant of the Twin Cities. Twenty staff emergency physicians care for over 50,000 emergency patients annually. All are residency trained and board certified in emergency medicine. Some also have training or board certification in family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and toxicology. The hospital trains residents in family practice, emergency medicine, and surgery. North Memorial also operates one of the largest air and ground ambulance services in the midwest. Residents under staff supervision will see an excellent variety of adult and pediatric, medical and traumatic emergencies.
Abbott Northwestern Hospital
Abbott Northwestern Hospital is the largest not-for-profit hospital in the Twin Cities area. Each year, the hospital provides comprehensive health care for more than 200,000 patients and their families from the Twin Cities area and throughout the Upper Midwest. More than 5,000 employees, 1,600 physicians and 550 volunteers work as a team for the benefit of each patient served.
Abbott Northwestern Hospital is a part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a family of hospitals, clinics and care services in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.
The Emergency Department provides rapid, holistic assessment and diagnostic services, including treatment initiation and facilitation of aftercare for patients with medical and surgical illness and traumatic injuries
University of Minnesota Medical Center
The University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview offers a full range of emergency services ranging from minor injuries to life-saving care. Specialty areas include: behavioral emergency, heart and vascular care, obstetrics, trauma, and stroke. Our physicians are experienced and highly trained in emergency medicine providing exceptional care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
St. John’s Hospital
From minor illnesses to life threatening conditions, the Emergency Care Center at St. John’s Hospital is prepared to care for you. We staff physicians, nurses and other professionals who are specially trained in emergency medicine. Our expert medical team cares for more than 39,000 patients every year.
United Hospital
Staffed by board-certified emergency physicians, United’s Emergency Department provides 24-hour emergency care through trauma stabilization rooms and emergency treatment areas within United’s Emergency Department. In addition, a fully equipped helicopter landing pad allows United to receive emergency patients by air.