New Digs Give Murfreesboro Medica Clinic A Booster Shot
Published Jun 12, 2009
Joey Peay, Murfreesboro Medical Clinic CEO, stands in the lobby of the 78,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility the clinic has opened in the Gateway development. A planned second phase will bring the facility to 200,000 square feet.
Before the new Murfreesboro Medical Clinic opened in July, space was at such a premium that surgeons performing outpatient procedures simply couldn’t handle any more cases.
That all changed in July 2008, when the first phase of a new, state-of-the-art facility opened in Murfreesboro’s Gateway development. In February 2009, in just 20 working days, the new, larger suites saw 630 procedures.
“Typically, we see a little of a lull at the beginning of the year, but this year we really haven’t slowed down,” says Dr. Dan Brown, the center’s anesthesiologist.
The new facility has four operating rooms, three endoscopy rooms and larger pre-op and post-op areas.
Outpatient surgery, plastic surgery, and physical, occupational and speech therapies are all in the new $15 million, 78,000-square-foot building.
Murfreesboro Medical Clinic’s new facilities also house MRI services, as well as surgery, ophthalmology, gastroenterology and ear-nose-throat services.
Other specialties, such as internal medicine/family practice, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, neurology, endocrinology, dermatology, podiatry, rheumatology, urology and some radiology, remain at the clinic’s original campus in downtown Murfreesboro.
The split does cause some confusion, says Joey Peay, the clinic’s chief executive officer. “Having 30 years of history in one location and then to transition, it can be difficult to adjust,” he says. “But once patients get there, they’ve been very pleased.”
The clinic and its board are now laying out the timeline for Phase 2, which will bring the new space to 200,000 square feet. The target to finish is early 2013, Peay says.
Doctors and other staff are already involved in the planning, helping to decide how many exam rooms and other interior spaces they need to create good patient flow. The goal is to break ground by the end of 2011, with 16 to 18 months of building.
Because Phase 1 included high-ticket items like radiology and the SurgiCenter, Phase 2, though bigger, won’t cost as much per square foot to build, Peay says. “Our expectation is not quite twice the cost of Phase I,” he says.
The new Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, once complete, also will offer comprehensive breast treatment. It joins a robust lineup of health-care providers that economic development officials say help attract new businesses to the region and retain existing ones.
Middle Tennessee Medical Center is in the midst of constructing a new, $287 million hospital campus in the Gateway development that is scheduled to open in 2010.
And Stonecrest Medical Center in Smyrna has capped off a $6.5 million expansion that added 26 beds and 15,000 square feet to the 210,000-square-foot hospital.
“Quality of life, schools, recreation, retail, high quality of medical care, that’s what folks are looking for,” says Bill Jones, area executive for Pinnacle Financial Partners and chairman of Destination Rutherford, a public-private economic development initiative.
Story by Pamela Coyle
Photo by Antony Boshier
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