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Published Sunday, February 19, 2012 in Local

Special

The lobby of the Piedmont Outpatient Center presents a warm, welcoming atmosphere to patients and visitors.

Hospital officials are planning improved outpatient services

By Alex McRae

The Newnan Times-Herald

(Editor's note: This is the seventh installment in a weekly series on Piedmont Newnan Hospital's new facility on Poplar Road leading up to the opening this spring.)

As America's health care system continues to evolve, the rising cost of inpatient care has led to a major expansion of outpatient services.

An anticipated cut in Medicare reimbursements over the coming decade makes the need for improved and accessible outpatient services even more vital to a hospital's success.

While officials at Piedmont Newnan Hospital are expecting a dramatic increase in patient load once their new Poplar Road facility opens, they are also working hard to cultivate a network of improved outpatient services.

Piedmont Newnan officials say they are dedicated to "providing and expanding a comprehensive offering of the highest outpatient services for the community."

As always, patient care comes first. Piedmont Newnan officials have been diligently working to assure that their outpatient services are "focused on the patient experience."

"To have our new, state-of-the-art hospital and our outpatient centers strategically located throughout our community will allow us to expand our continuum of health care for every person in our community," said Vicki Kaiser, senior director of Piedmont Newnan Hospital Outpatient Services. "Anyone who has been to one of our new outpatient centers has essentially been given a preview of our new hospital facility. The beautiful décor and patient-focused atmosphere of our outpatient centers, partnered with the excellent care provided, is what our patients can look forward to experiencing in our new hospital."

The new PNH outpatient strategy begins with a program called Patient Access. Formerly known as Centralized Scheduling, Patient Access provides a dedicated team of employees whose purpose is to orchestrate the patient's "intake" experience.

The ultimate goal of the Patient Access team is to efficiently navigate patients through the scheduling, insurance verification and pre-procedure information gathering process so that convenience is at the forefront of the patient's experience.

The Patient Access team will speed up the outpatient registration process and give the patient one point of contact to assist with scheduling an outpatient procedure. This provides a much more convenient experience for the patient during the scheduling process.

A key part of the program is offering outpatients access to convenient locations with comfortable amenities.

Outpatient services were formerly located in the hospital building. At the new PNH, outpatient services have purposefully been moved off-site, which is mutually beneficial to both inpatients and outpatients.

Officials say a good example of this philosophy is moving outpatient radiology services to an off-site location. This benefits outpatients by providing a convenient and easily accessible location solely dedicated to providing outpatient radiology services to patients with scheduled appointments, officials say.

Inpatients and emergency patients also benefit from having exclusive access to hospital-based radiology services, formerly shared with outpatients.

In anticipation of the spring opening of the new Piedmont Newnan Hospital, several outpatient services have already been relocated to centralized, more conveniently accessible locations within Coweta County.

These locations provide easy access into the outpatient centers, with an expedited registration process and close parking. Comfortable surroundings and amenities are all designed with the patient in mind by providing comfortable and relaxing décor.

Piedmont Newnan Hospital has opened or relocated the following outpatient services since 2008:

• Piedmont Sleep Center

• Piedmont Outpatient Center

• Piedmont Heartburn Treatment Center

• Piedmont Cardiovascular Imaging Center/Cardiac Rehabilitation

• Piedmont Rehabilitation Center.

Hospital officials are also working to ensure that the PNH outpatient experience is enhanced "through exceptional customer service."

To assure high quality, "Service Excellence" is a major focal point of the patient experience at PNH's outpatient services and centers.

To achieve "Service Excellence," staff members maintain training in patient relations, and patients are interviewed daily to make sure their needs are consistently being exceeded.

The hospital's Service Excellence manager also works closely with the Outpatient Services team to ensure they have the latest tools and techniques to provide a world-class outpatient health care experience.

The new PNH is also working on future outpatient services expansion plans in several critical areas of health care.

One of those is Oncology. Hospital officials say PNH plans to grow its comprehensive outpatient cancer services in order to better serve the community.

To meet that goal, PNH is currently distributing surveys throughout oncology offices in Coweta County, including Peachtree Hematology and Oncology and Radiation Oncology Services. Surveys are also being provided to the Coweta Cancer Support Group.

The purpose of the survey is to determine the specific cancer support needs of the Coweta community, including support groups, nutritional services, education, and other cancer wellness therapies offered by the hospital to cancer patients and their caregivers and/or loved ones.

Piedmont Newnan Hospital's Outpatient Services is also implementing plans to partner with various businesses and industries in the Coweta community to better serve their employees. The plan includes developing strategies to tailor services to complement employee wellness programs.

For example, the Piedmont Outpatient Center is open the first Saturday of each month for routine screening mammograms.

"The Piedmont Outpatient Center is equipped with the latest in technology, staffed by highly-trained and experienced health care providers, and is accredited by the American College of Radiology, which ensures that our patients are given an excellent quality health care experience," said Tim Baker, M.D., Radiologist, Piedmont Newnan Hospital. "No stone has been left unturned in the development and organization of this center. From the patient-centered, spa-like environment, to the on-site radiologists who are interpreting imaging results in a thorough and expeditious manner, we truly feel that the Piedmont Outpatient Center offers the best in outpatient imaging services to our patients."

Officials at PNH have also announced that the following outpatient services will be moving with the new hospital:

• Piedmont Heartburn Treatment Center. This facility will move to the new Piedmont Medical Plaza (PMP), adjacent to the new hospital, in early May.

• The Piedmont Infusion Center will also move to the new PMP in early May.

• Patient Access, also referred to as "Centralized Scheduling," will move to the new PMP in early May, as will Nutritional Services.

• The Piedmont Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center will relocate to the new medical office building located on Newnan Crossing Bypass in January 2013.

Patients already being helped by outpatient services are pleased with their results. Carolyn Lystig was recently diagnosed with a sleep disorder at the Piedmont Sleep Center and put on a treatment plan that included the use of a CPAP, which allows sleep apnea patients to breathe easier at night.

"My husband says I am much peppier," Lystig said. "And I notice my eyes aren't as red as they once were. The people have treated me wonderfully and I am very pleased with the results."

Lystig said her sister told her to "Thank the Lord" that she was able to treat her condition. "I'm really doing a lot better now," she says.

In today's health care environment, outpatient and inpatient services must work hand in hand to provide the highest quality care and the best patient outcomes.

Officials at Piedmont Newnan Hospital have worked hard to see that this crucial collaboration will be in place for the benefit of all patients.

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