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Outpatient center touted as new approach to health care delivery



CT scanner. (Staff photos by Martin Gavin)




FOXBORO -- When the new Brigham and Women's-Massachusetts General Health Care Center opens early next month at Patriot Place, its creators say, it will offer state-of-the-art diagnostic care and treatment with a difference.

The four-story, $43 million outpatient center won't just have a spare-no-expense imaging department with a high-tech MRI system, four day surgery operating rooms and services spanning everything from primary care to dermatology.

It will offer all of those services plus therapy, pain management, follow-up care and even a pharmacy under one roof.

Previously, says health center Medical Director for Primary Care Dr. David Faling, patients who needed specific kinds of care or rehabilitation often were referred to outside clinics or specialists. With the new center, a patient recovering from orthopedic surgery might have his or her rehab just down the hall at the center's in-house rehabilitation clinic.

"It means a lot that if one of my patients has a specific need, I can get them in there right away," said Faling, one of several primary care physicians who will work at the center located virtually in the shadow of Gillette Stadium.
Waiting area
There will also be a large number of other doctors, specialists and technicians either based locally or seeing patients either in Foxboro or in Boston.

About 30 physician specialists from Brigham and Women's and Mass General will be rotating through the Foxborough Center once it opens. An initial complement of 70 non-physician employees is expected to rise to about 85 by next year, a hospital spokeswoman said. About 30 of the new staff members come from the Foxboro area.

The new health care building was designed from the ground up to take advantage of similarity in functions. An orthopedic suite, for instance, is located next to the rehabilitation center. A laboratory used by a technician to process samples for pathology is located close by the operating suite.

Throughout, the new center uses the latest in available technology.

The center's advanced imaging department includes a 3 Tesla MRI system, described as the most powerful scanner currently on the market, clinic officials said. Images obtained by the MRI can result in more accurate diagnosis and performs studies quicker than conventional apparatus. Other imaging services at the health care center will include X-ray, CT scans, mammography and ultrasound.

"The Center is one of the few health care providers in the state to possess this level of sophistication in magnetic resonance imaging services," said Cynthia Peterson, administrative director for the center.

In addition, the center features a paperless medical record system in which patients' data can be viewed electronically and communicated to specialists or other hospitals for immediate consultations.

Other medical services that will be provided at the center include primary care, general surgery, plastic surgery, sports medicine, cardiology, cardiac diagnostics, dermatology, women's health and rheumatology.
The mammography room.


 


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easton234 wrote on Jan 26, 2009 11:41 PM:

" I certainly didn't get the impression that anyone was "suckered into approving this facility", after hearing how excited community members were that it was coming. And I'm very happy to now have access to those specialty and primary care services - finally! I've lived in the community for 5 years, and am glad I will no longer need to schlep into Boston for routine care. It should also be pointed out that emergency services are a critical feeder to any community hospital, so not having these at Patriot Place is good news to our local hospitals. Also, not exactly the location you'd want for ambulance traffic - right in the middle of a mall complex. And putting long-term recovery in the facility would sort of not make it an outpatient facility - right? Adding that service would completely change the licensing and zoning requirements, so I doubt it was even an option. And boutique health care - really? There's actually a definition for that, which is to pay an annual cash fee for exclusive access to highly personalized general care by a physician or physician group. Good for some, but not for the "needs of a community". The health care center at Patriot Place, however, will be a great addition to our community. My kids, especially, will be assured of getting top-notch orthopedic care when they need it, and I can finally have quality primary and OB care just a few minutes away. "

Spamalot01 wrote on Jan 4, 2009 9:54 AM:

" The Foxborough BOS and Zoning Board were suckered into approving this facility without it being a full-fledged hospital. They should have demanded Emergency Room and long-term recovery facilities be included in the plan so it's not just a money-maker for Partners Health Care. After all, the majority of medical procedures in community hospitals are for Emergency Services and long-term recovery, both of which are costly to hospitals. This is merely boutique health care to boost profits, not actually serve the majority of health care needs for the community. "


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