Intellimed's McClellan Park Medical Mall: A new approach to comprehensive health

For many of us, a trip to a doctor’s office just doesn't make the list of favorite things to do. Luckily, the wise folks at Intellimed have taken a close look at all the things that can make a doctor’s visit unpleasant and have come up with a state-of-the-art heathcare system that will both improve the quality of healthcare and make the experience more agreeable.

That’s the good news. The bad news it that we will have to wait just a little longer.

With the purchase of the former PX/Commissary Building at McClellan that was finalized on February 12, 2008, Intellimed Properties, LLC wasted no time getting started on the creation of the McClellan Park Medical Mall. The ink was hardly dry on the paperwork before the first prep work was begun in transforming the building from a tattered shell that has been vacant for almost a decade into a gleaming healthcare facility.

So what will make this project so unusual? Part of the answer to that will come from the normal first stop at a doctor’s office; that is the check-in at the reception desk. How many times have you walked into the same office and filled out the same forms on every single visit, or filled out a stack of forms with the same information in slightly different order, or been referred to a specialist and had to fill out the same forms you have completed several times already. That will be the first difference at the McClellan Park Medical Mall. There will be only one centralized reception desk and the information each health care professional requires will be available from that first set of forms you completed. Should your primary care giver refer you to a specialist, you won’t need to start all over or make numerous phone calls or stop by multiple offices to make your next appointment. The centralized reception desk can take care of all those things without the long delays that you may have experienced when you require more than one professional.

And speaking of delays, the dreaded waiting room may also be a thing of the past. With Intellimed’s focus on the integration of technology and healthcare, the goal is to minimize or eliminate wasted time. But we all recognize that regardless of how carefully a plan is made, it doesn’t always work out in perfect efficiency. So rather than being tied to a waiting room, the McClellan Park Medical Mall will provide electronic beepers so you can enjoy the sunshine in the green space outside the door or wander the shops next to the medical center in air conditioned comfort.

But, you may be asking, how will this improve that quality of healthcare? The answer is back in that integration of technology and healthcare. By providing a computerized and centralized record system, there will be no lost reports, no duplicate tests, no mistakes in deciphering an illegible prescription, and patients’ complete history will be available to each physician. so there should be no counterproductive treatments.

Maybe you recall the PX and Commissary from their former life or you have driven past it and noted how large these two buildings are, but until you can walk around inside this cavernous space it is hard to grasp the size of this project. When everything is said and done, the total project will be 180,000 square feet, cost in the neighborhood of $21 million dollars, and provide employment for 300 to 400 people. Not surprisingly, the project will have several phases.

The first phase will encompass about 42,000 square feet and the first occupant will be Intellimed Solutions, LLC. This company is a provider of medical business operations including billing and collections, medical record processing and storage and software technology to enhance physician services.

Additional tenants in this initial phase will include:

Northeast Alabama Surgical Associates
Dr. James West, Dr. Rod Johnson, Dr. Lewis Sellers, Dr. Richard Curtin, Dr. Wes Smith, Dr. Dewayne Clark, Dr. John Valente, and Dr. Ashley Stewart.

They will provide surgical services in general, vascular, and thoracic surgery including a breast care center, vascular lab, vein center, and operating room for minor vascular procedures.

Urquhart Plastic Surgery
Dr. Ken Urquhart and Dr. Mel Stewart

They will provide a full array of plastic and reconstructive surgical services including cosmetic procedures, breast reconstruction, dermatologic surgery, and carpal tunnel surgery. They will have an on-site surgery suite accredited by AAAASF (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc.). They will also be adding to their current service lines a Medi-spa that will offer Botox, Restylane, Juvederm, physician grade chemical peels, and a complete line of laser treatments.

The Spa at McClellan Park
The Spa will consist of over 5000 square feet and will be offering skincare services including facials, microdermabrasion, and light chemical peels, massage therapy, hydrotherapy, body wrap treatments, a full nail salon offering manicures and pedicures, and a full service hair salon.

Home Health
This home health agency with approximately 60 local staff provides quality home health services all over Northeast Alabama.

McClellan Park Meeting & Training Center
The Meeting & Training Center will be approximately 4800 square feet with a full-service kitchen and a meeting area that can accommodate up to 250 people. This facility will be used for training sessions, educational seminars, health fairs, beauty product demonstrations, receptions, and other local meetings.

Other phases of the project will include roughly 70,000 square feet of retail space possibly including pharmacy, gift shops, jewelers, clothing, eye wear, florists, book store, and restaurants.

An addition 60,000 square feet will house business and technology, additional medical offices, and possibly a day care facility. Phase one should be completed by the spring of 2008, with completion of the other phases following not long afterwards.

No longer will people in Calhoun County feel the necessity to drive to Birmingham for comprehensive health care. It will soon be available right here at McClellan. And while the McClellan Park Medical Mall may not get a trip to the doctor to the top of my list of favorite things to do, the thoughtful comprehensive approach to healthcare provided by this Intellimed project will certainly help make the experience pleasant.