Health Care

Shelby County Hospitals Deliver Array of Quality Services

With Saint Francis Hospital located in the city and Methodist North and Baptist Memorial nearby, Bartlett citizens have access to excellent health care.

A growing suburban area requires full service medical care. Three hospitals are meeting the challenge for Bartlett and northeastern Shelby County residents: Saint Francis-Bartlett‚ Methodist North and Baptist Memorial Hospital.

In 2004‚ Tenet Healthcare brought Saint Francis to the largest Tennessee community that didn’t have a hospital. In three short years‚ it has expanded exponentially.

“We were once thought of as an emergency room with some in-patient services‚” CEO Kem Mullins says. “Now we are a full-service‚ suburban hospital.”

Those services include cardiology‚ oncology‚ diabetes care‚ orthopedics‚ pediatrics‚ advanced medical imaging and respiratory care. The Women’s Center offers a family birthing center with labor‚ delivery and recovery all in the same room. Physicians representing 24 specialties utilize the hospital.

Saint Francis realizes people want to take responsibility for their health. To that end‚ the CarePages on its website provide a wealth of information about medical conditions and how to manage them‚ diseases and treatment. There is a drug reference library‚ healthy recipes and such interactive tools as risk assessments and quizzes.

Saint Francis’ commitment to excellent service was recognized nationally when it earned recognition from J. D. Power and Associates for “Outstanding Inpatient Experience” for 2006. Mullins notes that the award is based on customer ratings. “It’s a validation of our claim to be better at customer service‚” he says.

Medical centers bring major economic benefits‚ an attribute much appreciated by Bartlett. Mullins says that the medical center contributed $23.5 million to the area in 2006‚ primarily through wages and benefits.

Community growth has spurred Methodist North‚ serving the area for 30 years on New Covington Pike‚ to renovate its facility and expand its services.

“It’s exciting to see the transformation‚” Administrator and CEO William Kenley says‚ listing the emergency room‚ intensive care unit‚ pharmacy and clinical laboratory among recent construction projects.

Cardiac diagnosis and care have advanced with acquisition of a 64-slice imaging scanner and technology permitting paramedics to send electrocardiograms via cell phone while en route to the hospital. Methodist North‚ which offers open heart surgery‚ has been accredited by the American Society of Chest Pain Centers.

The Total Joint Center includes a nursing unit dedicated to hip and knee replacement care. “The feedback from physicians and patients reinforces that what we offer is unique‚” Kenley says.

Another innovation is the Advanced Wound Care Center‚ which brings together surgeons‚ podiatrists‚ endocrinologists and internists to provide integrated services to patients.

Medical services at Baptist Memorial include a sleep disorders center‚ outpatient rehabilitation‚ inpatient and outpatient surgery‚ a critical care unit‚ a full-service emergency room‚ inpatient and outpatient diagnostics‚ surgery suites‚ acute care beds‚ critical care beds and a critical care step-down unit.

Story by Gretchen Monti
Photo by Woodie S. Knight

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