January 13, 2009

Broadlawns Meets Growing Demand for Outpatient Services with Expanded and Renovated Clinic Facilities

DES MOINES, Iowa (January 13, 2009) –  Broadlawns Medical Center is celebrating the expansion and renovation of its outpatient clinics with a community open house on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, from 5 to 7 p.m. The open house, co-hosted by the East Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, showcases the recently updated and remodeled clinics for the broader community including businesses, civic leaders and legislators. Guests at the event are invited to take guided tours of the clinics. 

This project marks a significant renovation of Broadlawns’ facilities and was accomplished without raising taxes for Polk County citizens. In addition to creating a more comfortable décor and adding 17 new exam rooms, the renovated clinics feature new technologies for providing office-based procedures.

“The additional space means more patients will have access to health care services,” said Lynne Schaefer, senior vice president of outpatient clinic operations. “We’ve created a more comfortable and pleasing environment for everyone with aesthetics such as updated earth tone colors, new furnishings and more welcoming waiting areas. The project also included substantive improvements in patient flow from registration through treatment.”

In response to growing demand for outpatient services, the Broadlawns Foot and Ankle Clinic and the Amputation Prevention Center as well as the Orthopedic and Surgery Clinics moved to new offices and facilities on the hospital’s third floor. This move and expansion, in turn, opened up additional exam rooms for the Internal Medicine Clinic on the second floor of the hospital and created space for the Primary Care Clinic. 

The new clinic facilities represent a major step forward in realizing better operational efficiencies. “We are achieving that as we adopt electronic medical records and acquire new capabilities to perform services such as vascular testing and minor procedures in the clinic setting,” Schaefer added.

The remodeled areas are part of Broadlawns’ full offerings of clinic services, which also include family health, pediatrics, women’s health care, mental health, neurology, pain management, dental and several specialty clinics, as well as the emergency department and the walk-in clinic.

Vincent Mandracchia, DPM, MHA, chief medical officer for Broadlawns Medical Center, noted that the Primary Care Clinic recently opened with a waiting list, and providers saw more than 400 patients in the first month. The new clinic focuses on creating a medical home for patients who do not have a personal doctor. 

“In this clinic, providers are able to develop a long-term relationship with their patients, and, in doing so, they can encourage regular visits, preventive care and better adherence to treatment programs,” Mandracchia explained. “The advantages of this model are unquestionable when patients with chronic diseases – such as diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol – learn to manage their conditions and become more accountable for their own health care.” 

As the publicly owned community hospital in Polk County, Broadlawns plays a pivotal role in delivering health care to all who need it, regardless of financial resources and ability to pay.  The renovation and expansion of the clinics represent an interim step in the hospital’s overall site and facilities plan. 

“Broadlawns is the metro area’s community hospital. It is an asset that belongs to all of us, and, as a result, it must be prepared and equipped to meet the challenges ahead, which include tremendous economic uncertainty,” said Jody Jenner, CEO of Broadlawns. “In 2008, we saw patient visits at our emergency department and primary care clinics increase 14 percent in facilities that have long been stretched beyond capacity.

“This project is a transitional phase, not the ultimate solution necessary to serve our community now and in the future.”

The remodeling is intended to help the hospital serve patients over the next few years as Broadlawns rolls out the capital improvement project that was announced in 2008. That plan, which will not raise taxes to Polk County citizens, calls for renovating and expanding the hospital and clinic facilities. 

“The modernization and expansion on the second and third floors is a precursor to the construction of the new Broadlawns Medical Group Building, which is part of the renovation plan and capital campaign,” said Jenner. “We have created a primary care clinic model —Broadlawns Medical Center Physician Group Primary Care Clinic — that will be expanded in the new facility. Then we’ll finally have adequate space and modern equipment to provide the services that the community needs.”  

With a history as a community health center dating back to 1903, Broadlawns Medical Center first opened its doors as a hospital to the residents of Polk County on April 13, 1924.  Over the years, Broadlawns has adapted to the changing demands of public health care and remained true to its mission of offering quality health services to all Polk County residents and training tomorrow’s health care professionals. 

Today, Broadlawns Medical Center is composed of:  

• An acute-care community hospital serving medical, surgical, mental health and primary care needs. 
• A 60-member physician practice overseeing numerous specialty clinics and outpatient services.
• A Family Medicine Residency Program that graduates physician leaders who serve communities across Iowa and the country. 

 

MEDIA NOTE:
Call Mikki Stier or Barb Burke to arrange interviews with:   

• Jody Jenner, president and CEO of Broadlawns Medical Center
• Vincent Mandracchia, DPM, MHA, chief medical officer
• Lynne Schaefer, senior vice president of clinic operations