Renown builds on network of locations to launch unit

Renown Health, which has put a lot of recent effort into developing a network of urgent-care centers and physician offices around northern Nevada, will put the locations to work providing occupational health services for employers.

The network of offices is key to the success of the occupational health program, says Kirk Gillis, Renown's newly hired vice president for workers compensation programs, because employers place importance on convenience when they're choosing an occupational health provider.

When Renown executives visited with employers before launching the program, they repeatedly heard that companies want injured workers to be treated quickly so they can get back to the job.

With that in mind, the new Renown occupational health program promises maximum 30-minute waiting times.

Gillis, a 30-year veteran of the workers compensation industry, says the scope of the new Renown program is unusual.

While many other health networks across the nation operate occupational health programs, many of them are centered at an individual hospital.

Others operate out of a network of offices, but few attempt to cover the territory that Renown serves Stead to Gardnerville to Fernley.

"It's rather aggressive from a geographic standpoint," Gillis says.

The far-flung network presented the largest single challenge to Renown executives as they got the new program in place for introduction this week.

The program relies almost entirely on existing resources personnel, equipment and locations in the Renown network. The organization hired only a handful of administrative personnel to oversee the effort, and added some sales staff in its Hometown Health, the health-insurance arm of Renown.

Since Gillis arrived in Reno from Breckenridge, Colo. four months ago, he's spent much of that time making sure staff members throughout the Renown network understand the needs of occupational medicine, both for workers and their employers.

"Employers are looking for consistent quality of care," he says.

Ty Windfeldt, marketing director for Hometown Health, says executives throughout Renown have been hearing for several years that business owners wanted Renown to provide occupational health services, including workers compensation treatment of injured workers.

Renown committed itself to developing the new program about 18 months ago, and the work reached full speed with the arrival of Gillis this spring.

The program will be headquartered in an occupational health center at 975 Ryland St., near Renown's downtown campus.