Auburn Hills health care clinic update

Chrysler is taking the next step in helping maintain a healthy work force with the opening of an onsite health care clinic and pharmacy located in the Auburn Hills Complex. Here’s an audio update.

Narrator
Chrysler has long supported creating and sustaining a healthy work environment. Next month, the company is taking the next step in helping maintain a healthy work force with an onsite health care clinic and pharmacy located in the Auburn Hills Complex. Kate Kohn-Parrott, Director of Integrated Healthcare and Disability, sees the partnership with Henry Ford Health Systems as a win-win move for everyone.

Kate Kohn-Parrott
We know it’s important for our employees to have quick, convenient access to high-quality medical care, and equally know that many people don’t take the time they need to leave the facility to go out and get the proper care when they are sick. Letting a medical condition get worse is not in anyone’s best interest. Partnering with Henry Ford was a natural fit, and is an extension of our natural partnerships with them. We looked at other partners, but found that Henry Ford is equipped to handle a comprehensive array of services.

Narrator
Paul Szilagyi, Regional Vice President for Primary Care and Medical Centers-Henry Ford Health System, said the clinic will offer primary and chronic health care to employees, contractors and suppliers, maintaining the strict patient confidentiality found in all Henry Ford Health centers.

Szilagyi
It will include diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses, such as colds, flu’s, strep throats, rashes— things of that nature. We’ll even have an onsite laboratory to help with the diagnosis and treatment of patients. We’ll also have a full-service on-site pharmacy. Some of our onsite services include preventive exams, including Pap smears, blood tests for screening, diagnosis and monitoring of diseases such as high cholesterol and diabetes. We’ll have chronic disease management for things such as hypertension, thyroid problems and coronary artery disease. We’ll offer EKGs, nebulizers for asthma, and we’ll do routine immunizations like tetanus, pneumonia vaccine, and others. We also see ourselves as a gateway for more advanced services and specialty services that we don’t offer here onsite, so we will be able to refer you into other parts of the Henry Ford health system.

Narrator
The new clinic services will enhance, rather than duplicate, healthcare initiatives already underway at Chrysler.

Kate Kohn-Parrott
We currently have an occupational clinic, which is intended to treat workers comp injuries or cases that happen to employees when they’re on the job. That does not change. We also have a relationship with StayWell who encourages wellness and healthy living, and that relationship will not change.

Narrator
Visitors to the clinic will have the choice of making a specific appointment time, or choosing to just walk in.

Szilagyi
We’ll set up our schedule so that it’s about half and half, estimating the time that we require per visit. What we’d like to put in place is a scheduling system where employees at Chrysler can book an appointment right from their desktop. So they’ll go to our appointment scheduling system, put their name in the slot, and that slot is theirs. The next person who looks at that appointment schedule will only see a filled slot. They will not see who’s in that appointment—again, maintaining patient confidentiality. We’ll adjust the mix of scheduled and walk-ins based on the demand that we can predict.

Narrator
Employees will find payment for clinic services will be much the same as for off-site facilities.

Kate Kohn-Parrott
You would be able to use any of the carriers who facilitate payments for Chrysler. We Now, we can’t guarantee that for contractors or suppliers. It would just depend on whether or not their insurance carrier coverage has a relationship with Henry Ford.

Narrator
Parrott said the success of the Auburn Hills clinic could mean the concept may be expanded to include other Chrysler facilities. The new Auburn Hills clinic opens in December on the second floor of the Tech Center. Reporting for Audio Scoop, I’m Betty Carrier Newman.