Going to the doctor may never be described as a fun experience. From the dreary waiting room to being shuffled in for the poking and prodding to the inevitable stop at the pharmacy on the way home or, even worse, a separate trip to another dreary waiting room at an imaging center or somewhere else for more tests, it’s an experience many people aren’t thrilled to go through.
However, AdventHealth Care Pavilion is opening on Sept. 14, and is happy to try and change some of that.
Located on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at Hunter’s Lake Dr. in front of Hunter’s Green, the area’s newest facility also is its most innovative. The emphasis was on taking everything that patients find most frustrating about going to see a doctor and improving it.
That means easier and more convenient registration, modern waiting rooms and in addition to being home to eight primary care physicians, there will be no need for additional trips elsewhere in most cases because the new facility boasts in-house labs, imaging for x-rays and MRIs to name a few, and even a pharmacy.
“We tried to think through some of the little things that make it easier and more convenient and comfortable for people,” says John Johannessen, senior executive officer for non-acute services in the West Florida division of AdventHealth. “That’s the mindset of what a care pavilion is. We make it easier, make it comfortable and add a higher level of service so it’s just simply a destination location that you want to come to for your care and to stay healthy.”
Johannessen says AdventHealth is so serious about making it a pleasant experience, they hired a longtime Disney hospitality employee who will be specifically dedicated to the building’s consumer experience.
In fact, Johannessen doesn’t call it a reception desk that greets you upon entering, he says it’s more of a concierge-level welcome center.
“Obviously nobody likes registering,” he adds. “You register for the doctor and then when you have to go for the lab, you have to register for the lab, and then when you need to go get an image you have to register for the imaging. It’s a nightmare. It’s easy for people to say, ‘Why don’t you already have this information, why do I have to tell you this 10 times?’”
In addition to primary care, there will be other offerings, like subspecialties offered, such as cardiology, gastroenterology, obstetrics and general surgery. By the end of the year, Johannessen expects to have a pediatrician on staff as well.
While it is not labeled as an urgent care, the pavilion will accept walk-ins and can provide emergency care.
The facility is roomy, going more for an open-air mall type of feel than your traditional doctor’s office. A lot of thought has been put into the light, the music and even the colors, according to Johannessen, so a better mood and tone can be set.
When you are brought to your exam room, that’s where everything, even bloodwork, will happen (unless you need an X-ray, which is just a short walk away).
The focus is on connecting services for the convenience of patients.
Another convenience – a kids club for families who have children and can’t find a babysitter. The hours at the Advent Health Care Pavilion are Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, so parents have flexibility and don’t have to schedule their doctor visits around childcare or work.
‘We try to make it easy,” says Johannessen , who adds that the pavilion will initially be closed Sundays but the goal is to add enough to make it a seven-days-a-week facility.
The pavilion also offers a café, although it won’t be ready on day one at the New Tampa location. But, until it is ready, there will be a refreshment center.
The on-site Imaging Center will offer a separate women’s suite, focused on services that are important to them, like mammograms.
Imaging also has a large-bore MRI, which is the same as a traditional MRI but has a larger bore opening that adds more comfort and less stress for those who may suffer from claustrophobia.
“We tried to think through (many) of the little things that make it easier and more convenient,” says Johannessen.
The Hunter’s Green location actually is the second Care Pavilion center opened by AdventHealth. The first one opened in Westchase in June, to great response , according to Johannessen. But, the New Tampa location, which is roughly 50,000-sq.-ft. compared to its 20,000-sq.-ft. counterpart across the county, has more room to offer and room for expansion as well.
AdventHealth had been looking for a site somewhere along BBD for a year, and had all but settled on one when the previous owners of the property, which was most recently home to LifePoint Church (and Winn-Dixie before that) elected to sell.
The new site was perfect — close to an intersection, linked to a large community like Hunter’s Green, and was the right size with plenty of parking. “It checked all our boxes,” Johannessen says.
And, that is exactly what he hopes the AdventHealth Care Pavilion at Hunter’s Green will do for those looking for quality, innovative and easy-to-navigate healthcare.
The AdventHealth Care Pavilion at Hunter’s Green (8702 Hunter’s Lake Dr.) is now open. For more information, call (813) 467-4700 or visit AdventHealthCarePavilion.com.
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