New Medical Centre To Open In Hamilton In 2017

October 9, 2016

The Hamilton Medical Center plans to open a new facility in Hamilton where walk-in patient care and diagnostic imaging will be available until 10pm seven days a week. The company said construction is set to begin, and the new Center is expected to open in mid 2017.

“The Hamilton Medical Center is expanding to become an urgent care facility offering blood testing and diagnostic imaging ‘all under one roof’, allowing for faster treatment and better patient outcomes,” the company said.

“The new facility, which will be located on Burnaby Street, will boast state-of-the art technology including the world’s most powerful truly open MRI, CT scanning, X-ray, ultrasound, mammography, bone density scanning and blood testing. Walk-in patient care and diagnostic imaging will be available until 10 p.m., seven days a week.

Rendering of the planned facility:

Hamilton Medical Center rendering oct 16 (2)

“The new Center, intended to make medical treatment more accessible to the public, will include services such as a free minibus designed to shuttle the physically challenged and seniors without transport to the facility.

“There will be an onsite radiologist for the immediate interpretation of X-rays, MRIs and other imaging for faster diagnosis as well as an onsite pharmacy.

“A major benefit of the new Center is that it will assist in reducing healthcare costs. One example includes videoconferencing technology that will allow for consultations with specialists without patients having to go overseas. This will also reduce delays receiving valuable specialist advice.”

Dr. JJ Soares, Director of the Hamilton Medical Center Ltd, said: “As well as being a walk-in urgent care facility providing diagnosis and more immediate treatment, we also hope to provide a more convenient place for patients to have their MRI, CT, X-ray, ultrasound or other tests done as ordered by their own doctor. This means that people will not have to leave Hamilton to have their investigations”.

“We have heard much of late about the burden that high-cost medical care is placing on the system. The testing done at our Center will be achieved at a much lower cost than if a patient were seen in the hospital emergency department and if the same testing were done there.

“The public may not be aware, but the hospital is currently reimbursed for testing at a much higher rate than when the same test is done at a private medical facility.

“As healthcare providers, we must meet the challenge of finding innovative solutions to keep costs down while keeping patient care at the forefront. I firmly believe that the private sector is the best vehicle by which to achieve this.

“The opening of this facility will serve as a ‘win-win’ by delivering state-of-the-art service for patients whilst helping to keep costs low,” added Dr Soares.

“In addition to the kind of care upon which Hamilton Medical Center has already established its excellent reputation, the new Center will serve as an urgent care medical treatment facility where we can treat patients and refer to the hospital or a specialist as necessary.

“The key to the success of this model is having on-site imaging and diagnostics at our fingertips – we are modeling this after similar kinds of treatment facilities in the United States and other countries,” he added.

“We had a very productive meeting last month with the Minister of Health where I shared detailed plans for the Center, and she was quite supportive of the concept.

“We are aware of general concerns surrounding the overutilization of equipment, and will be working with the Bermuda Health Council to ensure that best medical practices are strictly adhered to,” said Dr. Soares.

“We see the new Center as providing a supportive role to the hospital by allowing it to do its job even better in what can be considered an example of the public and private sectors working together to improve patient outcomes while simultaneously reducing costs.”

The company said, “The planning phase of the Hamilton Medical Center is complete, with construction to begin immediately. The new Center is expected to open mid 2017.”

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Comments (16)

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  1. Wayne N says:

    WELL DONE Dr. Soares!!!……..this is going to be a very welcome service to the community. Just imagine our elderly, handicapped and others being able to get off the bus and walk mere steps to your facility.

    The video conferencing will become an instant success because heaven only knows what happened to the robot at KEMH (one can only guess) as well as get all of your testing done under one roof and treated at the same time.

    Shucks, we can even go for lunch while we are waiting!!

  2. Curious Mind says:

    Ahh yes, but Ewart Brown can’t do this right?

    Guess its all about who you know.

  3. stunned... says:

    great!

  4. Rockfish#2 says:

    Are we supposed to believe this will lower the cost of insurance premiums?

  5. Realist says:

    “The public may not be aware, but the hospital is currently reimbursed for testing at a much higher rate than when the same test is done at a private medical facility”…..This is not true. The hospital rates are highly regulated by government and capped but private practices have no regulation and can set their prices at whatever they please.

    • Neighborhood watch says:

      This is indeed true. KEMH charges 3x if more than the private sector and allowed to do so because they are a 24hr facility. Insurance companies are the ones that set the price and not the labs.

  6. mmm says:

    Great news, high quality and accessible care in a timely fashion is most important. There was a comment about the difference in reimbursement by the insurance companies to private doctors versus the hospital for the exact same service, I hope someone will speak from the insurance industry. There have in the past been fraudulent claims and unnecessary X-rays. I can see other medical practices seeking to step up their services and availability.

  7. Me says:

    Awesome!

  8. talk di tings says:

    health care should be free… as citizens and tax payers they should want to keep us alive and healthy. bermuda is not for it people. its all about the money. no reason a women giving birth should pay 10k to have a baby. no way my broken leg cost 8k. lol oh and dont forget if you cant pay you go to prison.. sound like paradise ?

    • Ann says:

      Really free? Nothing is free, we seem to have moved to a mentality that everything we do should be payed for by government, and where do you believe the funds should come from, let me guess, the private sector? The private sector already pays a huge portion of Bermudas debt, while some go sit on the hill for days, when they feel the need. Keep up the entitled free for everything attitude and one day in the not to distant future we too can look like Haiti. Go to work!

  9. watching says:

    interesting how much noise has been made by the government and the health council over Dr Brown’s clinic and use of diagnostic imaging and potential over-utilization of tests and now we are giving permission to another one stop shop that can virtually do everything. very interesting, indeed. Well we always knew the OBA wanted to close the UCC in St David’s so what better way to do this then to assist in the establishing of a private one.

    • Truthhertz says:

      “We are aware of general concerns surrounding the overutilization of equipment, and will be working with the Bermuda Health Council to ensure that best medical practices are strictly adhered to,” said Dr. Soares.”

      The regulations apply to all. Even Soares acknowledge that in the above quote.

      Dr. Brown is not a victim.

      And how did the Government ‘assist in establishing a private one?’

    • Say Whaat? says:

      Hate to say it, but yes, Brown made enemies. No sympathy here.

  10. Sarah says:

    money money money.

  11. Hopeful............ says:

    Well, I guess it depends on who you are! I thought Gov’t was attempting to deter private practice from obtaining those expensive diagnostic machines; also, I am advised that the hospital cost of MRI IS higher that the current private practice MRI…. just wondering.

  12. Joel M says:

    Great steps forward for the Island’s health systems, and health options.