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If you baby boomers haven’t had to stay in a hospital lately, you’re in for a big surprise. You won’t believe some of the amenities that Little Rock hospitals offer. And with change comes choice.

Gone are the days of nurses in tidy white dresses, caps with insignia designating rank, white polished shoes and white hose. So are the days when you’d routinely see your doctor at the hospital as he made his rounds. These days, medical-team members — everyone from doctors to food servers — wear scrubs; and, chances are, your family doctor won’t visit you in the hospital. On the other hand, you will have access to amenities that your grandparents never dreamed of having on hand while they were hospitalized.

To wit: Does your Little Rock hospital have wireless internet service throughout the facility? Oh, yeah! Will a flat-screen TV with a DVD player and 60-plus channels of cable television make you feel better? Sure. What about your own private room? You bet. Little Rock hospitals are paying attention to what patients and their families want, especially now that individuals have choices when it comes to where they receive medical treatment.

Remember, hospital officials know that the most important thing is to get the patient well. So they’re doing whatever they can to create an environment that will appeal to as many potential patients as possible.

St. Vincent Health System

The 122-year-old St. Vincent Infirmary (SVI) focuses on patient-centered care. According to CEO Peter Banko, “We’ll do everything we can to earn the patient’s trust and work hard to care for all their needs –- body, mind and spirit.”

“Hospitalists” — physicians who care for and coordinate the general care of hospitalized patients — are available at St. Vincent for patients who don’t have a primary-care physician or for patients whose primary-care physicians request the care of a hospitalist. At the end of the hospitalization, the patient returns to the care of his or her primary-care physician.

For patients who will be hospitalized for extended periods, comfort is critical. So, for an additional cost, you may want to request one of St. Vincent’s Solarium Suites, which accommodate both the patient and his or her family. Adjacent to the patient’s room is the family room, equipped with a queen-size sleeper sofa, sleep chair, desk, dining table, 36-inch cable television, DVD/CD player, refrigerator, coffeemaker, microwave, internet access, a safe for valuables, extra linen, fruit basket, free snacks and beverages. There are six suites situated in various units in the hospital.

All patients at SVI receive an in-room restaurant-style menu, based on the diet planned by their physicians. Patients may order anytime from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. In the newly designed and upgraded cafeteria, there are so many food options, your family and friends won’t need to leave the campus. There’s also a Starbucks and a Subway (also available at Baptist Health Medical Center).

Newspapers are provided in all SVI patient rooms each day, and cookies and coffee are offered every afternoon.

St. Vincent Orthopaedic Center’s Joint Academy offers a wellness approach for joint replacement. In addition to extensive pre-operative education for post-operative care, patients are able to wear their own clothes, have group meals, group therapy, family participation and private rooms.

An innovative addition to the St. Vincent Health System that’s in the works is St. Vincent-West, a health care and wellness destination that mirrors today’s “retail lifestyle centers” — incorporating outpatient, ambulatory and retail health care services .

Located adjacent to The Promenade at Chenal retail development, St. Vincent-West will offer convenient access to high-quality, affordable care designed around the needs of the community. The first phase of the 37-acre development, scheduled to open in September 2011, will include family medicine, urgent care and specialized care for baby boomers and their parents.

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center

At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center (UAMS), it’s all about teamwork. One physician directs a team, which includes resident physicians who have graduated from medical school and are receiving additional training; and registered nurses who plan, coordinate and provide care, including administering all medications and serving as an advocate for the patients with others on the care team.

Additional team patient-care service coordinators arrange for meals, supplies, pastoral care, transportation, medical testing and medical-record processing. Case coordinators help with personal, family, emotional and financial issues, such as insurance, home health and transfers to other health-care facilities. Finally, occupational, respiratory and physical therapists, dietitians and speech-language pathologists work with patients to address specific needs.

“From state-of-the-art facilities to modern amenities, we are committed to offering the best possible experience for our patients and their families as we serve the medical needs of Arkansas,” says Dick Pierson, UAMS vice chancellor for clinical programs and UAMS Medical Center executive director.

The new UAMS Hospital (which opened in 2009, replacing the original facility built in 1956) offers spacious private rooms with plenty of storage space. Similarly, the bathrooms with showers are private and large — in fact, the doors of the bathroom can be opened in such a manner to accommodate a patient in a wheelchair or on a stretcher. If a family member or friend wants to stay overnight, he/she has the option of staying on a sleeping couch or a recliner. Every room has a flat-screen television with 60-plus channels and free internet service.

UAMS offers animal therapy, music therapy, translation services, 24-hour dining for families and visitors, and a children’s playroom. Chaplains are available around the clock.

The 12-story atrium of the Winthrop Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Arkansas’ only comprehensive cancer treatment and research facility, features a grand piano on the first floor. Its music can be heard throughout the glass-enclosed, natural-light-filled building, which was designed to encourage healing. Located in a serene area of the Institute is a “healing garden,” which includes a water feature, outdoor seating and tranquil landscaping. Courtesy carts are available to transport patients and family members to and from clinics and buildings.

Technological innovations at UAMS include monitors for fall-risk patients that detect movement and play a recorded message asking the patient to stay put and wait for help. (The recorded message can even be made by a family member to help patients who may not respond to an unfamiliar voice.) Baby boomers will like the video cameras for premature babies that enable parents, grandparents and other family members to see and hear the baby on their computers at any time. Speakers in the baby’s room also let the baby hear its parents’ voices, along with other familiar voices.

Baptist Health

CEO Russ Harrington says Baptist Health is a “healing ministry where we create a trusting relationship with our patients and families to meet their spiritual, emotional and physical needs.”

Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock (BHMC-LR), which employs hospitalists to care for patients, has one amenity you have to love: free parking in the hospital lots and in the parking deck attached to the hospital. Plus, you don’t have to walk very far, and the parking lot is well lit. Little things like these mean a lot when your mind is focused on the person in the hospital. (Some clinics connected through one of the BHMC-LR towers do charge, and some just stamp your ticket to get out.)

BHMC-LR feels like a little city. Everything you need is close by, including a hotel, banking facilities, credit union, chapel, flower and gift shop, drugstore, several cafés, a large cafeteria, 24/7 access to video interpreters for the hearing-impaired, telephone interpreters for foreign-language-speaking patients/families and wireless internet service throughout the facility. Hair and nail services can be arranged for patients; and there are private rooms and large, comfortable waiting rooms with recliners for surgery and ICU visitors, plus additional private family rooms.

Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute offers many conveniences that are appreciated today. A few that stand out: They’ll provide a laptop computer with Skype, will walk blind patients’ seeing-eye dogs; and provide birthday cakes for patients who are in the hospital on their birthdays. Sweet!

Arkansas Surgical Hospital

North Little Rock’s Arkansas Surgical Hospital (ASH) is a physician-owned, 51-bed surgical hospital that specializes in orthopedic and spine surgery, surgical breast oncology, podiatry and cosmetic surgery. In addition, comprehensive pain management treatments and advanced diagnostic procedures are offered, according to CEO Carrie Helm.

ASH’s location on NorthShore Drive near the Arkansas River is an amenity in itself. Granted, there are plenty of other perks, too. Every patient has a private suite with an adjoining guest room for family members that comes complete with a bed for the family member, a love seat and recliner, additional flat-screen TV and telephone. The suites are designed for extra patient privacy – patients can’t be seen from the doorway. There’s designer-inspired décor throughout the hospital and in the patient suites, so it feels like a resort instead of a hospital.

Front-door parking and North Little Rock Police security are provided for every patient and guest’s safety. All meals are prepared by a gourmet chef. The River Trail Grille on-site restaurant offers breakfast and lunch dining for family and guests. And there are no designated visiting hours; guests may come and go as the patient’s care allows.

ASH employs all Advanced Cardiac Life Support-trained registered nurses and no licensed practical nurses (who require much less training). Also, the patient-to-nurse ratio is 5:1, compared to traditional hospital ratios of 10:1.

Arkansas Heart Hospital

Arkansas Heart Hospital (AHH) is the only hospital in the state dedicated solely to cardiovascular disease. According to Interim CEO, VP Finance/CFO Mark Hartman, the hospital offers “The Extra Touch” program to enhance its high level of care. The program is a holistic approach to patient care, offering a blending of guided imagery, music therapy and massage therapy.

According to recent research and findings, combining these complementary therapies creates an environment for the following: better disease outcomes; increased immunity; better wound healing; quicker recovery from surgical procedures; and reduced discomfort and adverse effects from vascular procedures.

Other amenities at AHH: All rooms are private; there are no set visiting hours, to encourage an adult family member to stay with the patient so that staff can involve them in educational opportunities and care; visitors’ lounges have plush reclining chairs and plasma TVs; room service is available; and there’s ample free parking close to the hospital.

AHH also provides complimentary heart-attack risk-assessment screenings (which check cholesterol,  triglyceride and glucose levels, for example) in the hospital lobby for family members of its patients.