The UNC Family Medicine Center recently held its grand reopening on Thursday, June 2, premiering its new patient-centered health care model. The remodeled space is designed to prioritize patient care needs and improve general health care, as well as receive an ever-growing number of patients.

The patient-centered health care model has gained prominence in recent years through the national debate about health care reform. The new model moves toward the idea that the patient knows their own health needs best and emphasizes the patient-doctor relationship, particularly empathy and communication. These interactions may often seem trivial to physicians focused primarily on outcome and recovery, but studies have shown that the patient’s experience is crucial to the health care they seek. SAGE Journals and PubMed.gov in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have all published papers that support this finding.

The lack of personal connection a patient feels to their doctor can have serious consequences. In an online article penned for HealthAffairs.org, Dr. James Rickert, an orthopedic surgeon at the Indiana University School of Medicine, described an example in which a lack of a personal relationship with a physician was greatly detrimental to a patient’s health. A young woman came to him with metastatic cancer, revealing that she had previously seen a different specialist. Although the first specialist had performed tests, prescribed inhalers, and told her to return if her symptoms did not improve, she never went back.

“The underlying problem in this tragic example is the lack of a relationship between the patient and her doctor,” wrote Rickert. “This patient never felt any personal connection with her doctor; from her point of view, the visit was an expensive waste of time, and, therefore, she did not return for further treatment. This lack of relationship significantly influenced her health decisions in the same way it impacts all patients.”

Similar situations have been motivating factors for hospitals to move toward patient-centered health care models, with the hopes of improving patient experiences and thus patient health. Long wait times and multiple appointments are just some of the frustrating aspects of patient experiences at many hospitals, which may deter them from seeking health care in the first place. This is part of what UNC Family Medicine hopes to cut down on with its grand reopening.

On Friday, June 3, WCHL was live at the grand reopening at the UNC Family Medicine Center. Learn more about the grand reopening.

In interviews with WCHL, members of UNC Family Medicine spoke about the reopening. Dr. Harry Stafford, M.D., a team physician for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), discussed how the redesign affected his job.

“[It has] made my job a lot easier. We have more rooms and more space, [which] allows me to provide better care to patients and get them in and out more efficiently,” said Stafford, who is also an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedics and Family Medicine at UNC. “[Secondly], we’re able to provide one stop shop, which makes this building more unique. We combine [the various treatment steps] into one visit, so you’re seen, you’re diagnosed, we get your treatment, and then you go into a room and get physical therapy from one of our athletic trainers. [Patients] can start the healing and rehab process a lot sooner than you would if you went to any other places around.”

Dr. Linda Myerholtz, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist at UNC Family Medicine, spoke about the new model’s improvement of the behavioral health program, which makes it easier for patients to seek medical attention for mental health needs. The Family Medicine Center includes facilities for both physical and mental health.

“We want to make it very simple and straightforward for people to get the help they need, whether it’s physical or emotional,” said Myerholtz. “Coming to the [Family Medicine Center] for physical health makes it easier for them to come in for emotional wellbeing as well.”

Patient-centered health care models have gained popularity in recent years, but the system is still relatively new. The UNC Family Medicine Center was recently ranked second in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” issue. The center continues to lead the country in research and teaching.