Practitioners now under one roof at University Medicine Foundation

MODEL OF EFFICIENCY: Dr. Peter  Hollmann is chief medical officer of University Medicine Foundation, which opened its new facility in June and provides the opportunity for general practitioners and specialists to collaborate under one roof. / PBN PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS
MODEL OF EFFICIENCY: Dr. Peter Hollmann is chief medical officer of University Medicine Foundation, which opened its new facility in June and provides the opportunity for general practitioners and specialists to collaborate under one roof. / PBN PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

When a patient has a chronic illness that involves care from multiple clinicians, getting everyone involved in his or her treatment on the same page, at the same time, can be difficult.

Despite emerging technology, the conference call has its limits.

So when University Medicine Foundation set out to plan the build-out of its new facility, designing spaces to support the “patient-centered medical home” organization of care was at the forefront of its thinking.

The resulting medical building in East Providence, which opened in June, is designed to allow general practitioners and specialists to collaborate, and meet and speak easily to coordinate care for patients with chronic ailments.

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Previously, the various practices and specialists were located in the Greater Providence area.

University Medicine, which is affiliated with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, is a nonprofit primary care, specialty outpatient and subspecialty medical group that includes more than 200 physicians.

The physicians and specialists practice in areas that include general internal medicine, primary care, diabetes and pulmonary care.

Eight practices within the medical group now occupy three floors of the four-floor building at 375 Wampanoag Trail.

The design of the $6.5 million project includes environmentally friendly elements, such as large banks of windows and motion-activated lighting. The design for a patient-centered medical-home approach to care is evident on a walk-through.

Within individual suites, general practitioners’ offices are surrounded by those of subspecialties. So, for example, at the offices of the combined Governor Street Primary Care and Barrington Primary Care practices, the primary care physicians occupy a suite of offices and patient rooms that are a short walk down a hallway from groupings of offices for specialists, including podiatry and rheumatology.

The idea of a patient-centered medical home is actually an old concept, originally used by pediatricians, according to Dr. Peter Hollmann, chief medical officer for University Medicine.

Hollmann, who specializes in geriatric care, said the physical surroundings improve coordination and collaboration among professionals involved in a patient’s care.

“A key thing to the design is it is University Medicine being brought together,” he said. “Instead of having specialists in this building, and this location, and primary care doctors spread out in different locations, we now have brought people together.”

Why is the physical proximity so important? Hollmann said it’s one thing to hold a web-based conference; it’s another to be able to run down the hall to speak with a colleague.

“There is a reason why you have people together,” he said. “I think when people see each other, they have a tendency to work together. In some things, it’s just physically easier. Try to have a conference where you’re discussing things, and you really think you have people paying attention, and listening, and hearing what you’re saying.”

The medical-home model is held up as a method to improve health care in the U.S. by changing how primary care is organized and delivered, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The department lists five specific qualities of a patient-centered medical home, including comprehensive care, one that puts patients and their families at the center of managing their own care, coordination among all elements of the broader health system, accessible services and a commitment to quality and safety.

While comprehensive care can be assembled remotely, some medical homes, such as University Medicine, feature a physical assembly of all the providers.

The suites of offices include large, shared spaces, as well as individual offices. Patient rooms can be used by adjoining practices, to cut down on wait times for patients. And as part of its mission to increase access for patients, the facility is open for urgent care needs on Saturdays, until the early afternoon.

Having practitioners together, in one building, has improved communications, Hollmann believes.

“There’s nothing like face to face, being able to run down the hallway and talk to somebody, or run upstairs,” he said. “Just being aware of who that person is, you’re that much more likely to contact them.” •

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