The new Adult Primary Care Center on the seventh floor of Medical Center East features two separate waiting rooms along with four suites and on-site diagnostic facilities
Adult primary care services headed for Med Center East
Dr. James Wilson
Vanderbilt University Medical Center's primary care services are getting a a new address with the opening of the Adult Primary Care Center on the seventh floor of Medical Center East.
The new center will open for patients on Monday, Sept. 23 and will be staffed by 22 physicians from VUMC's division of General Internal Medicine and the Wilson Medical Group. As part of the relocation from space at The Vanderbilt Clinic, the Division of General Internal Medicine will change its clinical practice name to Vanderbilt Internal Medicine Associates.
The new Adult Primary Care Center at Vanderbilt will dramatically increase VUMC's primary care efforts while at the same time benefiting patients with improved service capabilities, said Dr. James P. Wilson, associate professor of Medicine and Director of Adult Primary Care.
"This is a demonstration of Vanderbilt's commitment to the development of its primary care base. We have greatly increased our space and, more importantly, are producing a more efficient practice," he said.
In today's managed care environment, an adequate adult primary care base is necessary to help support the institution's tertiary and quaternary care, Wilson said. Since 1990, Vanderbilt has increased its number of adult primary care practices from eight to 22. Wilson expects that number to rise.
The Adult Primary Care Center also has a new site set to open in Brentwood. On Sept. 30, the Vanderbilt Medical Group at Brentwood will open its doors in the Shiloh Building at 214 Centerview Drive in Brentwood. It will be geared toward adult primary care and will be staffed by Drs. Frank Caprio, Jan DeLozier, Susan Weaver and Mark Zenker.
The new Adult Primary Care Center at Vanderbilt, located on the seventh floor of Medical Center East, consists of four suites, each supporting three-to-four physician practices. At 25,000 square feet, the new center is significantly larger than the two groups' previous homes. Diagnostic facilities, including X-ray equipment, are housed in the center of the space. Two patient waiting areas and the four physician suites branch out from there like the spokes on a wheel.
"It's really convenient, both for the patients and the staff," Wilson said. "It was designed to improve patient flow and the on-site laboratory and diagnostic core adds even more convenience for patients.
"This new facility really sets the standards of access, convenience and patient focus for the community."
The move from The Vanderbilt Clinic to Medical Center East will be accomplished in a remarkably short period. In the matter of four days, equipment, computers, files and personal belongings from dozens of people – an entire division of VUMC – will make the trip across 22nd Avenue South. With only so many days per year to see patients, Wilson says the decision was made to effect the move quickly.
"It's a challenge, to say the least, because the time-frame is so short" Wilson said. "We are currently packing things that aren't essential to patient care, and the rest will be done in the space of a couple of days.
"We will see our first patients in the new space on Monday (Sept. 23) and we are looking forward to establishing the identity of the new Adult Primary Care Center."