One Nineteen Melds Wellness and Medicine on Birmingham Medical News

One Nineteen Melds Wellness and Medicine

By: Jane Ehrhardt

Steven Sims stands in front of a CT Scanner at One Nineteen Health & Wellness.

A Growing Medical Campus Flourishes alongside a Gym and Spa

“Wellness has a lot of pieces to it,” says Steven Sims, director of clinical services at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen Health and Wellness. “Our approach is to address all the aspects of holistic care and what goes into a healthy lifestyle.” So the facility offers a buffet of choices to support wellness, including a state-of-the-art gym, a saline lap pool, certified dietician, and luxury spa.

But what most people overlook is the thriving medical aspect of the center. Fifty-five physicians work out of One Nineteen, representing specialties ranging from primary care to cardiology and orthopedics. “We just added another neurosurgeon a week ago. We’re not sitting still with the status quo, we’re looking to bring others out here,” Sims says.

Sims explains that the expansion of services at One Nineteen reflects the needs of their physicians. For example, because the physicians wanted to send patients for diagnostic testing and to have labs all under one roof, the center opened a blood lab.

The GI lab was added at the request of some of the specialists — there are three GI clinics associated with their facility — who wanted to do colonoscopies on-site. “It’s more for screening and to be able to see patients here, so now they can do those services at our facility,” Sims says.

The diagnostic options are a large part of One Nineteen. The clinic offers digital x-ray, ultrasound, mammography, bone density, CT, MRI and nuclear medicine. “Even if they’re not a part of St. Vincent’s, physicians with patients who live in this area can send them over here. And we also have an extremely good staff of physical therapists,” adds Sims, emphasizing their expertise in sports medicine.

One Nineteen has combined extensive diagnostic options with a wellness program in a unique one-day physical called the Executive Health Program. “We cater to the busy professional who doesn’t have time to get one test done on one day and this other test on another,” Sims says. “With our Program, you come in the morning and you have everything scheduled and done for you. It’s a convenience.”

For $2,999, the patient receives up to 13 tests, including lab tests on blood and urine, as well as fitness testing. All while being treated in luxury, fed a brunch, and ending their day with a Swedish massage or spa treatment of their choice.

Hundreds have taken advantage of the program since it began about four years ago. “At that time, we were looking at ways to promote the health and wellness side of our program,” Sims says. They found executive programs in place around the nation and realized “we had a pretty professional population that might take advantage of this, especially on this side of town.”

The diagnostic portion of the Executive Health Program covers areas such as EKG, lung CT, hemoccult fecal blood test, abdominal and carotid ultrasounds, bone density, mammograms and gynecology exams. “We tried to include tests that gave us the most information with the least amount of invasiveness,” Sims says.

Consults with specialists in anything from plastic surgery to ENT, or additional tests, such as MRIs, x-rays, and colonoscopies, can be scheduled for additional fees. “The day can be tailored to what may best suit them,” Sims says. Each patient meets with the Program’s physician at the start of the day when adjustments to the basic core of tests can be made.

The wellness part of the Program includes a nutritional consultation and a fitness assessment, along with an audiogram. Patients walk away with “a basic knowledge of where they stand now physically. And then also on where they could go if they trained or concentrated on some fitness or nutritional issue,” Sims says.

“We want to show them where they could be if they continue, preferably using our services,” he says, spotlighting their personal trainers, dieticians, and physician-monitored weight loss program. “We are trying to promote our facility, and we’d love for them to stay involved here.”

When the full results from the labs and the radiologists are in, the Executive Health Program physician calls the client to review the outcomes and discuss any follow-up recommendations. Then the patient receives the formal written report within four weeks, though ten days is more common.

Patients pay for the Executive Health Program up front. Some corporations partner with the clinic to receive reduced rates for a guaranteed number of executives. “Some of the companies have executives around the country, so they fly in and spend the night,” Sims says.

“Strategically, we want to do a lot of things out here,” Sims says, mentioning a youth sports medicine program as an example. More immediate plans revolve around an ambulatory surgery center on the campus. In September, St. Vincent’s received their certificate of need for the expansion. “We’re evaluating what to do and how to do it. We don’t have specifics, but we’re looking forward to this.”