b'CONCORD HOSPIC A A N U F L O | N RVCICE I O 43CTOANL AONRNDU HLO SRPEIPTOARLTN| AAL RFEIPIOARTTI NS A SDE A R EEDXIPTAANTSOI NNSCOLLABORATIVE CARE APPOINTMENTS UNDER ONE ROOF FOR PATIENT EASE MaryWhen Concord Hospital designed its new Memorial Medical Office Building, West, it focused on developing a facility where patients needing care from multiple providers would find them under one roofavoiding multiple visits to various doctors on different days at different locations. Mission accomplished.Mary, a patient who moved to the Lakes Region last year, was having trouble finding a new doctor for obstetric/gynecology care, so much so that she continued traveling to her previous out-of-state community several hours away for care. By summer, it was stressful, she didnt want to delay a recommended surgery any longer, but didnt want to continue making the long drive. Her doctor suggested she see Dr. Heidi Hallonquist at Concord Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology. Mary said she benefited on her first visit from the Hospitals conscious effort to consolidate (or co-locate) related medical services.During the appointment in September, Dr. Hallonquist realized Mary also should be assessed by a colleague, so she left for a few minutes and returned with Dr. Veronica Triaca of Concord Hospital Pelvic Medicine, who Marys out-of-state doctor also had recommended. I also had her listed on the yellow Post-it note on the inside of my folder of medical information, Mary said. When she walked in, I opened it up and said, There is your name.I felt like I had hit the jackpot, she said.Mary, who is 66, said Drs. Hallonquist and Triaca reviewed the advantages and disadvantages of her treatment options, including her as an active part of the care team. Nobody rushed me. Nobody was looking at the clock and I was there a good hour, she said. As she checked out, a nurse approached to say another patient had just canceled a surgery scheduled for just two weeks away, and that they would hold the date for her as she considered her options. She decided to have the surgery, which Drs. Hallonquist and Triaca performed together, as they often do.My story is about the collaboration of these two surgeons, said Mary, part of the coordination of care designed into the new building and practiced by the providers who work there.For instance, while booking visits for after her surgery, the scheduler noticed appointments were on different days. She quickly altered the schedule so Mary could avoid multiple trips from the Lakes Region and see everyone on the same day. Having medical appointments and surgery in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic added a little anxiety, but Mary was reassured by extra precautions at Concord Hospital and Concord Hospital Medical Group practices. The offices are clean. I felt safe walking in there, she said.Likewise during her overnight stay in the Hospital.It was evident that everyone has been well trained, she said. It had become a habit to do all of the additional cleaning. Theyre all doing it.She called her Hospital stay a pleasant experience, considering she had just had major surgery. From the easy-to-follow direction card to the pre-operative area on the day of surgery and preparation for the procedure (including a COVID-19 test), to the view from her window and timely delivery of warm meals, she felt special and reassured.Im into efficiencies, so I noticed, she said of her care in the new medical office building and in the Hospital. Someone has taken the time to say: How could we improve this? and then implemented it.'