Riverview Medical Center officials hope to bring a touch of the suite life to hospital stays.
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
You can get so much accomplished at Riverview Medical Center these days that a patient might be hard pressed to find a reason to go home.
The hospital launched a pilot program last month called Concierge Care, a comprehensive service designed to pamper patients and their visitors. Hospital brass say they spent 18 months investigating and designing the service with people from five-star hotels and resorts. Through a third party, the hospital has worked out deals with local businesses and vendors to offer what it calls hotel perks.
Need to get your car fixed? Want to get tickets to see a show at the Two River Theater? Rather order takeout from one of those pizza places in town than eat in the hospital commisary? The service will get it done for you.
While you’re waiting, you can hit the spa or have a staffer go to your house and check on your pet. And it’s all free. The only time you’re charged is when you order products, like pizza.
“This is a stand-alone program, just as you’d find in a hotel,” said Tom Paolella, Riverview’s public relations manager. “It’s pretty much unlike any other service in the area.”
Riverview President Tim Hogan said the hospital will run the program for at least a year. In that time, if you check in, you’ll be sure to see someone sitting at a concierge desk who will explain the benefits to you. The hospital also has a full-time group of supervisors and employees responsible to take care of patients in addition to clinical care.
Hogan said the idea is to extend what he says is already top-of-the-line care for patients.
“There are a lot of needs that a patient may have that we can alleviate any stress they have so they can get better,” he said. “It’s just sort of an added, nice thing.”
Since the service is free to patients and guests, the hospital eats the cost. Hogan wouldn’t say how much the program is setting the facility back.
Concierge Care is available to all patients from 10a to 8p, seven days a week, with an answering service for after hours requests.
