on January 26, 2012 |
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Topics: Womens Services, Service Lines
Rachel Klein
We have recently been fielding questions from members on the value of women’s health centers and how hospitals are choosing to structure them. Hospital administrators looking to differentiate their women’s service lines often consider a health center as a physical reminder of the hospital’s dedication to women’ health.
In the absence of a formal service line structure, an outpatient facility can help patients better understand the spectrum of services available to them. However, with limited capital budgets and facility space, many administrators look to existing outpatient facilities to see which could absorb additional programming for women.
As many women’s health centers seek to provide comprehensive care for women in a single location, imaging services are a natural complement. Boasting a high volume of women already engaged with the center and returning annually, breast centers can be a logical first step to launch a women’s center. Further, breast centers are generally located in areas with easy access and have an aesthetic that appeals to women.
While many facilities choose to add bone, cardiac, and incontinence screenings to their breast centers, some will take this a step further and add educational sessions around women’s health or other clinical services. It is important for administrators to carefully consider which patients they wish to serve rather than place all services a woman would ever need in such a location. For example, it is unlikely that patients of reproductive age would find value in having their office visit close to a breast center. Alternatively, patients over 40 (the primary age group for breast imaging) are well-primed for services such as urodynamics, colonoscopies, and vascular screenings.
However, while the breast center is a strong starting point for many women’s health centers, it will require significant space to maintain its primary function; multiple rooms for screening and diagnostic mammography can push out newer services. It iscritical for hospitals to fully evaluate space and staffing available prior to extending breast center services.
Alternatively, we have seen some institutions begin by only holding education sessions in the breast center before expanding to clinical testing on site. Understanding patients’ appetite for expanded services in one location can help hospitals plan for future expansion.
For more information on women’s health centers or to learn more about our Women’s Health Center Opportunity Assessment, please contact TechInsightsRequests@advisory.com.
