Women’s Comprehensive Health Institute provides complete checkup in one day
SAN ANTONIO (March 25, 2013) — Ildiko Agoston, M.D., FACC, assistant professor of medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has created what she calls a VIP clinic for the everyday woman without the VIP price tag.
Since arriving at the university in 2011, Dr. Agoston and her team created the Women’s Comprehensive Health Institute. The institute, which opened last June, offers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary clinic that addresses the complex and unique health care needs of women of all ages.
“This truly is a one-stop shop for women. Instead of taking five days to go to five different doctor’s offices, they can have all their annual health care assessments done in one place on one single day,” she said. “We have all the specialists in one place. Women love the convenience and the time-saving process.”
Based on a woman’s age and insurance benefits, the annual appointment can include a physical exam, dermatology exam, gynecology exam with Pap smear, mammogram, electrocardiogram, bone density scan and other health screenings
“To begin coming to our women’s institute, a woman calls our office and talks to a registered nurse who answers questions about our services and provides a health questionnaire. We review the completed questionnaire and decide – based on the current evidence-based health guidelines – what the woman needs,” Dr. Agoston said.
The registered nurse works with the patient to schedule the appointments and confirm insurance benefits. The patient is given an itinerary for the day.
“The women have loved it. There is no clinic like this in the city. Our electronic medical record system allows our doctors to share health care records instantaneously. The concept is to make it more convenient for our patients to take care of themselves,” she said.
Dr. Agoston, who is a general cardiologist, said if the patient has multiple cardiac risk factors or has had cardiology problems, then she will see the patient. “Most women do not understand how prevalent heart disease is in females. Too many people still think it is a man’s disease.”
The majority of appointments are located in the Medical Arts & Research Center (MARC), which is the new eight-story clinical home for UT Medicine San Antonio, the faculty medical practice of the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio. The MARC is at 8300 Floyd Curl Drive. The dermatology exams and mammograms are located nearby at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC), 7979 Wurzbach Road.
For more information, call the institute at 210-450-6400.
UT Medicine San Antonio is the clinical practice of the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio. With more than 700 doctors – all School of Medicine faculty – UT Medicine is the largest medical practice in Central and South Texas. Expertise is in more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. Primary care doctors and specialists see patients in private practice at UT Medicine’s flagship clinical home, the Medical Arts & Research Center (MARC), located at 8300 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio 78229. Most major health plans are accepted, and UT Medicine physicians also practice at several local and regional hospitals. Call (210) 450-9000 to schedule an appointment, or visit www.UTHealthcare.org for a list of clinics and phone numbers.