Convenience is a familiar concept in the retail world. It’s not necessarily the hallmark of health care.

But leaders at Alegent Creighton Clinic are pursuing the conve­nience concept at their 32,500-square-foot location in La Vista, which opened this summer.

With so many parents working, clinic leaders de­cided to expand their hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on four weekdays, with morning hours on Saturdays.

People also like to access multiple services in one location, the leaders said, so clinics should offer that: primary care, specialty care such as internal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology, plus other services such as physical therapy, pharmacy, laboratory and radiology/ ultrasound.

Keeping all information on one electronic chart, a move that providers across the country are making, would help in two ways, officials de­cided: Patients wouldn’t have to answer the same questions over and over, and providers could track patients’ prog­ress no matter where they were in the system.

“It’s focused around the patient,” said Dr. Tony Hatcher, Alegent Creighton Clinic’s medical director for growth and strategy. “It’s what’s in the best interest of the patient."

Reprinted with permission from Omaha.com