The Last Word

 
Putting on the Ritz, part two

Hotels and airlines know well how to lay out the red carpet for customers willing to pay for first-class extras such as more space, business services, gourmet meals, or other amenities.

Over the past four years, Emory University Hospital has sought successfully to fill that niche in Atlanta health care through the spacious suites and extra services offered in the popular John W. Rollins Pavilion. To meet a growing demand, the hospital opened five more suites in June, bringing the total to 11.

"When the late John Rollins and I developed the concept of the Rollins suites in the early 1990s, we wanted the capability of caring for patients with all levels of illness in a comfortable facility for a little more money," remembers retired internist Paul Seavey. "And we wanted a suite where the spouse and other family members could sleep and receive three meals a day too."

The result is the only facility in Georgia that combines high-quality medical care with the ambiance of a luxury hotel, while protecting privacy and confidentiality. The suites have welcomed more than 1,000 patients since they opened in 1996, including former presidents, sports greats, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, movie stars, and dignitaries from around the world, says Rollins Pavilion nurse manager Trish Archer.

Like the first phase of the Rollins Pavilion, four of the five new suites feature an upscale patient room and sitting room with a sofa that opens into a full-size bed. Each suite includes a nurses station and a large, tiled bathroom. In response to patient feedback, the new suites also include sliding doors behind the patient bed to cover the oxygen, vacuum, and electric outlets, and a re-engineered climate control system. A larger fifth suite in the new south wing also houses a conference room/dining room and two queen-size Murphy beds.




Amenities in all suites include hardwood floors, cherry wood furniture, fine bed and bath linens, an entertainment center with television and VCR, a modem line, an in-room fax machine, dry cleaning, videos, voice mail, concierge services, a designated elevator, and gourmet kitchen service.

For the surcharge of $250 a day (which is not covered by insurance), patients also receive a basket of fresh fruit upon admission, breakfasts accompanied by a Wall Street Journal and the Atlanta Constitution, bottled water, and a daily menu that rivals that of fine Atlanta restaurants.

The unit serves mostly medical and surgical patients, except those who have received bone marrow transplants, those with suicide or seizure precautions, or patients who require intensive care.

Nineteen nurses, some with critical care experience, and patient nurse assistants staff the Rollins Pavilion suites.

For additional information about this facility, call 404-712-0650.

In this Issue


From the Director  /  Letters

Imitation of Nature

A Cut, a Shave, and a
Blood Pressure Check


Medical Mistakes:
Human Error or System Failure?


Moving Forward  /  Noteworthy

Putting on the Ritz, Part Two

 


Copyright © Emory University, 2000. All Rights Reserved.
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Web version by Jaime Henriquez.