Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing
Hendricks Regional Health has been in Hendricks County since 1962. For 10 consecutive years, Healthgrades Operating Company, a comprehensive physician/hospital rating and comparison database, has given Hendricks Regional a 5-star rating, making it one of only 15 hospitals in the country to get such a distinguished assessment.
“We are known for our patient experience,” says Gary Everling, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Hendricks Regional Health.
Soon a larger portion of the population will get to enjoy that experience as a brand new state-of-the-art hospital is about to open on the northern end of Brownsburg.
Though they’ve had a location at the southern end of Brownsburg for nearly 20 years, Hendricks Regional Health has wanted to expand its presence in the area. Four years ago, when construction began on I-74 and Ronald Reagan, it seemed like the perfect time to start making plans.
“We did a lot of surveys and focus groups with Brownsburg residents,” Everling says. Kevin Speer, President and CEO of Hendricks Regional Health, and his planning team concluded that a retail health care delivery model was ideal.
“People want health care to be convenient, simple and cost effective,” Speer says. “We think this building embodies all of those things.”
When you walk inside the bright, airy building, the first thing you’ll notice is all the glass, which highlights the wide-open spaces. To the right is the lab and admitting area for patients requiring CT or MRI procedures. That unique space has floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the woods.
“I believe there’s a strong therapeutic component to being outdoors and having a view of the outdoors,” Speer says. “If a patient is doing cardiac rehab or physical therapy, this is the environment to get better.”
One exciting feature of the new facility is the side-by-side urgent care and Emergency Room.
“One of the greatest costs and most unnecessary expenses is the inappropriate utilization of an ER,” says Speer, noting that urgent care is a more cost-effective model for many ailments. “When a patient arrives, we’ll determine if their condition is a full-court press emergency. If it’s not, we’ll send them down the hall and take care of them for [a fraction of the cost].”
Upstairs is the rotunda. It holds family practice doctors as well as a community room, which can be used by the Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club or other community groups that need a place to meet.
Also, upstairs are OBGYNs, plastic surgeons, and board certified breast oncology surgeons. As the hospital grows, they plan to expand their team of specialists.
“Our goal will be if you come in to see your primary care doctor, you can follow up with a specialist in the same building, maybe even on the same day,” Speer says.
The inpatient rooms, also housed upstairs, are designed so that beds are angled, enabling patients to see outdoors.
“We wanted the space to feel as much like home as possible,” Speer adds.
When the hospital opens, staff will be utilizing EPIC, electronic health record software that enable physicians to access all his or her patient’s records.
“It’s the gold standard in electronic medical records,” Speer says. “Because a patient’s records are all linked, this will mean that when you see your primary care doctor or have to be admitted to the emergency room or urgent care, you won’t have to re-check in each time you go from place to place.”
Everling, Speer and countless others are eager for the hospital to start serving the public.
“To be able to provide Brownsburg residents with greater access to high-quality, lower-cost healthcare — well, we couldn’t be happier,” Everling says.
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