Order up Help in a hurry

In a move to enhance the community’s health and access to care, Emory Healthcare (EHC) physicians will now serve as medical directors of MinuteClinic locations throughout Atlanta. MinuteClinic, the retail health care division of CVS Caremark, offers walk-in medical clinics that are open seven days a week inside 31 CVS pharmacy stores in the metro area. These clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners, who provide treatment for common illnesses and administer wellness and prevention services.

Under the new clinical affiliation between EHC (Georgia’s most comprehensive hospital system) and CVS Caremark (the nation’s largest pharmacy provider), nurse practitioners in select MinuteClinic locations can call on Emory doctors for help with diagnosis and treatment. In addition, MinuteClinic and EHC staff will collaborate on wellness education and disease management initiatives. And the two organizations plan to integrate their electronic medical records systems with patients’ permission to streamline communication around all aspects of each patient’s care.

Why is that good for patients? Care at retail walk-in clinics typically costs less than similar quality care at a doctor’s office or urgent care center and is much less expensive than a trip to a hospital emergency department. Emory’s affiliation with MinuteClinic will allow patients ready access to outstanding care right in their own neighborhood.

I’d like the pecan-crusted tilapia with a side salad, Thousand Island dressing, asparagus, and a roll. Oh, and some apple cobbler for dessert.

Patients at Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM) can place such an order from 6:30 am–7 pm in a new room service dining program that will deliver meals of patients’ own choosing to the bedside. EUHM is the third Emory hospital to offer fresh-to-order meals from a restaurant-style menu, allowing patients to choose what and when they are served. Although the room service model costs more than traditional inpatient dining, it reduces food waste and supplies. Even better, patients with access to room service dining tend to eat better in the hospital when they can select their own meals based on how they feel and when they are hungry. They can schedule meals around tests and procedures, allowing them to avoid missing a meal or having to eat cold food delivered while they were out. The dining staff at EUHM expect to deliver more than 300 meals during any given mealtime throughout the day. The ultimate goal for the new room service program is a higher level of patient satisfaction.