The new renovations will change that Wolfman and the other 3 East doctors have been working on the plans for months Examination rooms and consulting rooms will be separate--no more files on exam tables.
"There's some benefit to having a room for conferences and consultations," says Dr. Karen E. Victor '80, who has an office in 3 East. "I think the whole health service is looking at it."
Under the plans, there will be a new, more private waiting room. A new group of nursing assistants will be brought in to prepare patients to be seen. They will undress elderly patients, prepare any necessary paperwork and do basic checks--all tasks currently performed by doctors.
The 3 East renovations will be accompanied by a change in the appointment system that may affect not just this wing but the whole health service. Under the new system, as much as 30 percent of appointments will be open for patients who call in for same day service and 20 percent for next-day service.
The renovations in 3 East, tentatively scheduled to begin this summer and cost more than $2 million, represent the biggest test of Rosenthal's vision for a more efficient UHS. This, doctors say, is a pilot project "Phase One," Rosenthal called it in an interview. If it doesn't work out, future plans for renovations could be altered.
Four years ago, Dr. David S. Rosenthal '59 inherited a University Health Services that was running deficits without improving quality of care. Confronted with Harvard's demands for a balanced budget, Rosenthal is now trying to do more with less because...
'I spoke the other day with a specialist--top-notch guy. He's willing to provide more time to UHS, but the budget does not allow it.' Dr. Sidney Wanzer, Director of the UHS satellite clinic at the Law School