VIP care: without the VIP price tag
Ildiko Agoston, M.D., FACC, assistant professor of medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio and her team created the Women’s Comprehensive Health Institute.
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.
Annual health assessments done all in one place
“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.
Instantaneous access to medical records
“The women have loved it. There is no clinic likes 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.”
Appointments at MARC and CTRC
The majority of appointments are located in the Medical Arts & Research Center (MARC), which is the eight-story clinical home for UT Health Physicians, the faculty medical practice of the Long School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio. The MARC is located 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.
