Willow St. will open June 29.” captionposition=”left”] [aesop_character name=”Cory Bilicko” caption=”Managing Editor” align=”center”] Residents of Signal Hill and its surrounding area will not only have a closer
source of medical care, now that Kaiser Permanente is opening its new Signal
Hill offices, they will experience an ease of convenience, comfort and access
thanks to the HMO’s use of the latest technology.
That’s the hope of the new office’s staff, who hosted a media tour June 22,
shortly before the facility’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
In anticipation of their June 29 opening, Kaiser staff welcomed the Signal
Tribune Wednesday afternoon for a walk-through of the brand-new two-story,
20,000-square-foot building at 845 E. Willow St. Conducting the tour were:
Dr. Wadie L. Marcos, the physician who oversees the Signal Hill and Long Beach
offices; Ted Lombardi, reimagining ambulatory design principal program
manager; and Serena Josel, assistant area director for Public Affairs and Brand
Communications, Kaiser Permanente South Bay.
“We have about 75,000 patients in Signal Hill and Long Beach, so this
is part of our effort to expand services close to where all those members live
and work,” Josel said. “Especially with Southern California traffic,
commuting can be a barrier to accessing care— a very real one down here— so,
even though this is only a few miles away from our Long Beach office, we
think it’s important to make sure people have another option for accessing the
services that we have housed here.”
[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Screen-Shot-2016-06-24-at-10.33.53-AM.png” credit=”Cory Bilicko | Signal Tribune” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”A robot-like machine called Avizia, which is linked to urgent care, enables a nurse to connect with a doctor in real time to get assistance with a patient.” captionposition=”right”] Some of those services offered on the first floor include a pharmacy, X-ray,
blood draw laboratory and nurses clinic; the second floor features adult primary
care, pediatrics, OB-GYN and behavioral health.
The downstairs lobby area also includes a community space that can be
closed off for education classes and group sessions for behavioral health staff.
Marcos explained that one of the goals of the new office is to facilitate an
easy check-in process. Whereas most medical offices have patients wait in line
to be processed, the Signal Hill facility will feature receptionists with computer
tablets who will walk up to and greet members to check them in.
Patients who are more tech-savvy may also pre-register online then use
their Smartphones to scan a QR code in the lobby to check in.
“So, you can check in from home, you can check in from here through the
kiosk, or you can check in by one of the service representatives coming up to
you,” Marcos said. “But, no lines. So, kind of like a spa feel is what we’re looking for.”
He said that, after patients check in, they will be asked how they want to be
notified when staff are ready for them. A monitor will display their last name and
where to report when their appointment begins, or the patients can opt to receive a text message on their phone.
“This way they don’t feel tied,” Marcos said. “It’s more convenient for them, if they want to go to Starbuck’s. Or if [staff] are running late, they can text
them and say, ‘We’re running a little bit behind.’ So, this way, they can know
[when their appointment will actually begin] and not feel afraid to go to the
restroom.”
While patients are waiting for those appointments, they can sit in the lobby,
which has several computer tablets that offer educational videos.
Within the nurses station, Marcos pointed out a robot-like machine called
Avizia, which is linked to urgent care. If a nurse has a question for a physician, he or she may use Avizia to connect with a doctor in real time to get assistance with a patient.
“If the nurse needs to get some help or an opinion from a physician, [Avizia] would link them,” Marcos said. “And then there’s a camera. If there’s a
specific spot [on the patient’s body] they have a question about, they can show it.
On the other end, the physician can give advice.”
Lombardi said Avizia is one of 14 technologies being implemented into the
new medical offices within the region. Josel added that the Signal Hill location
is considered one of the “next generation” of Kaiser’s medical offices.
“The first one to open opened in December in Manhattan Beach,” she said.
“The second one opened in Santa Monica last month— in May— and then this
is the third in Southern California. So, Signal Hill is really on the cutting edge
in terms of having the latest technology.”
Arriving at the second floor, Lombardi commented on the architecture of the space.
“The layout— it’s totally new,” he said. “Our receptionists historically have sat
behind a counter, and you had to come to them. Now, the service reps come
out and greet you. It’s open. It’s airy. So, we’ve completely redesigned the facility itself from a physical perspective. Then, with the addition of the technology, it really just kind of opens things up.”
In one of the exam rooms, Marcos pointed out new patient tables that are
adjustable in various ways and that also weigh the members while they are simply
sitting or lying on them. He said this feature allows the patients to have more
privacy, as opposed to stepping onto a scale in a more populated area.
The rooms are also equipped with sliding doors that allow for more space
and make it easier for staff to see the patient, since they are not blocked by
a more conventional type of swinging door.
As for those staff members, there will be a total of 50 working at the facility,
including five adult primary-care providers, two pediatricians, two OB-GYN
physicians, one psychiatrist and three therapists.
The nearby Long Beach medical offices, located at 3900 E. Pacific Coast
Highway, are also undergoing renovations and will begin offering behavioral health services in August. For more information, visit kp.org/southbay .
