McMaster family practice moves downtown

The transformation from abandoned bingo hall to modern medical facility is complete.

McMaster Family Practice, one of three community family practice sites affiliated with the Department of Family Medicine, recently completed its relocation from the McMaster University Medical Centre to the newly renovated West End Clinic at 690 Main Street West.

Culminating a year of planning and preparation, the new offices were quietly opened for the first patients on May 21. Official opening ceremonies took place this morning, with Hamilton mayor Bob Wade, Hamilton Health Sciences chief executive officer Murray Martin, and Hamilton Health Sciences board chair Marvin Ryder in attendance.

The decision to move the family practice unit out of the hospital was driven by a need for more in-patient space. Hamilton Health Sciences developed the new site. Effort Trust purchased and renovated the building, which is leased to the hospital. The Centre for Reproductive Care occupies the other half of the building.

McMaster Family Practice provides primary care to 8,000 patients and trains family medicine residents. The facility is designed as a training centre for family physicians of the future. There are 20 self-contained examination rooms, each outfitted with the information technology equipment needed for instant on-site communication with other services and providers, to allow for the flow of patients appropriate for an ambulatory centre.

Each exam room has the capacity for real-time or recorded monitoring by supervisors of medical students and residents, in an effort to reflect an emphasis on the teaching and modeling of the doctor-patient relationship. A large team room is used for teaching, staff interaction, and paperwork and two interview rooms are comfortable spaces for staff to meet with families. The space emphasizes clean lines, soft lighting and noise reduction.

The move provided an opportunity to incorporate the increased space and human resources that were needed and to explore operational changes to maximize efficiency. These include improved chart flow, an education secretary and a billing clerk. There are also accommodations for the social worker, chiropodist and dietician.

Lab specimens will be handled by MDS Labs, and the unit will remain connected to the Hamilton Health Sciences computerized patient information system.

A new electronic patient record system developed in the Department of Family Medicine was launched at the new site on June 17. The software features customizable evidence-based clinical resources and emphasizes connectivity, accessibility, and immediacy in decision-making and patient education.

Russ Springate is the medical director of McMaster Family Practice

Tina Karwalajtys is public relations co-ordinator in the Department of Family Medicine