MONROE — After years of planning, research, design and construction, Monroe Clinic found reason to celebrate June 10 as it opened partial occupancy of its new facility. 

The final phase of construction will continue with the existing clinic building remodel and renovation. The entire project is anticipating full occupancy by mid year 2020.

And after thousands of hours of planning and testing that’s been years in the making, Monroe Clinic has also implemented an “Integrated Care Team” model meant to eliminate waste while keeping patients at the forefront. 

“We’re pretty excited and happy to share this with you,” said President and CEO of Monroe Clinic Mike Sanders before groups were led on tours through the addition prior to its opening. 

Earlier versions of plans for the renovation and construction included some small changes along the way, but the three year journey has left officials happy with final decisions after working through challenges, like parking.

“Connecting this (building) to the other building was more of a challenge than any of us realized,” Sanders said. “But our people were just great. We had great cooperation from our teams.”

Sanders said construction was designed and completed while thinking long term for Monroe Clinic. The entire cost for the clinic building expansion is around $59.7 million, which includes deconstruction of the entire St. Clare Center, landscaping and parking lot design and pavement, new clinic building design and construction and the current clinic building remodel and renovation.

“This is a long term investment of the future in health care,” Sanders said. “We have a facility, technology and a team here that compare to any other team in the country.”

Construction is running on time and cost is on target as well, Sanders said, noting that they have had a positive working relationship with CG Schmidt. Although weather has tweaked a few things, the project has stayed on track. 

New facility, new “Integrated Care Team” model

The new clinic facility houses 10 clinical departments, although not all are currently complete. The space also has a new conference center, human resources offices and a state of the art simulation lab that works in partnership with Blackhawk Technical College to recreate “real life” situations. A corridor that connects the hospital and clinic buildings supports navigation and access from building to building. 

The first few days of implementation were lighter for staff members, done purposefully to ensure everything ran smoothly, and there was ample time and staff to help patients, answer questions and assist anywhere needed.

Patients can now enter at the new south entrance, adjacent to 22nd Avenue, where they are greeted by a row of staff members for check in at their given appointment time. The streamlined registration process offers a small waiting area for family or friends accompanying people to the appointment, but patient wait time has been eliminated.

Much like a hotel, the patient receives a room number and will then reach a themed floor that provides a visual wayfinding while incorporating the work of a local artist to uphold the aesthetic and mission of Monroe Clinic. 

Once the patient is greeted at their floor by one of the themes of: community, mindfulness, wellness or spiritual, another staff member is waiting at a desk to help direct them to their room assignment. There are also prominent signs and room numbers are visible even from the end of a hallway. 

The patient’s room door is open and they can enter and close it behind them. Through a different door on an opposite wall, a medical assistant enters within seconds after being alerted through a light system that the patient is waiting. The physician is then alerted through the push of a button.

Everything is done in the patient room, including measurements, weight and making follow up appointments. 

The approach of a “warm hand off” between the medical assistant, physician and patients is meant to eliminate the need to ask duplicate questions and provide the physician and patient more face-to-face interaction. Doctors, nurses and staff work in a shared workspace, creating an environment of collaboration. This also allows for more patient privacy. 

Sanders said employees have been preparing for these changes for two years, and it was tested first on the new Durand Monroe Clinic building on a smaller scale. That experience proved positive. 

“Patients feel like they’re spending more time with their physician,” Patricia Lawson, special project communications said.

Staff members have had an “intense amount of involvement” in the changes and have underwent several sessions in recent weeks to train on specific elements of change, Sanders said.

Goals for the project kept Monroe Clinic’s reputation for exceptional care at the forefront, Lawson said. Online and written surveys were sent out and feedback was taken into consideration. The new workflow is meant to be entirely “patient centered.”

Lawson said they will continue to listen to feedback, and regroup in follow up days and weeks to make any necessary adjustments. Parking is available to the east of the clinic, at the corner of 22nd Avenue and 5th Street, or southeast of the new entrance. A campus map can be found at monroeclinic.org. 

“We’re so appreciative of our neighbors,” Lawson said, noting that some Monroe streets have been busier than normal, but in the end it will be a positive change for everyone.