Few locations inspire as much dread as doctor’s offices. Crowded seating, blinding fluorescent lights, ringing phones and long waits are just a few of the less desirable words often associated with going to the doctor. But for Dr. Tomy Starck, the ophthalmologist who runs the ultramodern UltraVision Clinic, a trip to the doctor doesn’t have to feel like a trip to the doctor.
Starck’s two-in-one clinic radiates spa-like ambience from the moment you walk through the glass doors. Whether you head left for the clinic or right for the LASIK and Aesthetic Center, you’ll see large, leather couches in beiges and browns, brushed-chrome and woody accents in “a lot of unique materials,” according to Starck, and ample warm and natural light, thanks to several floor-length, double-sided windows and a notable lack of fluorescents.
“It gives you a sort of Zen feeling,” Starck said. “We set a spa-type atmosphere and play slow, relaxing music because we want to calm people and help get rid of the threatening feeling of going to the doctor.”
While many doctors seem content with the standard bright lights and cold shades of blue and white, Starck went into painstaking detail with his architects about the concept of the entire building, from the artsy gray and color-block accents on the outside right down to the knobs on the filing cabinets.
“In my travels, I’ve seen lots of different things,” Starck said. “I used to always come back to Texas and say, ‘one day when I [build] the clinic, I’ll try to incorporate some of this stuff.’ And that’s exactly what we did here. It was designed by a team of architects, but they worked very closely from my concept and ideas.”
The concept, according to Starck, “is very simple. We wanted to incorporate a minimalistic design with different shapes and patches of color here and there. Part of the decoration is that we use some interesting pieces of art; I go around looking for art, and I bought every single piece. We also wanted to use architectural spaces as a frame for nature.”
Nature is a key factor in the design. Everything from the plant-filled landscape to the super-modern hand dryers in the bathrooms is as eco-friendly as possible. And since the clinic is located above the aquifer, it has a water-filtering system, which ensures “the water is filtered before it goes into the aquifer to prevent any contaminants from entering the system,” according to Ines Iglesias, executive manager. “We chose to use a Stormceptor system – one of the first ones that was implemented – instead of the retention ponds that most places along 1604 use. It’s nice because the filtration system is kept underground, which is more aesthetically pleasant and more efficient.”
The clinic works as harmoniously as possible with its natural surroundings, but as two clinics in one, it’s also ideal for maximizing resources and, as Starck said, working with space. Since the average age of the patients in each area of the clinic is different, according to Starck and Iglesias, both areas cater specifically to their own clientele.
“A lot of patients in [the UltraVision Clinic] are older, have cataracts and come with relatives,” Starck said, “so there [are] usually more people. That side is larger to accommodate for them. And in [the LASIK and Aesthetic Center], we have 30-year-olds who come in fast, alone and texting, so they don’t need a lot of space. This area is a bit more modern and efficient for them.”
Whether you’re 20 or 60, you won’t hear the rustling of forms and charts or see the typical clutter lining the desks. Starck’s extensive design detail goes further than aesthetics and into the much-neglected area of organization. Thanks to a highly specialized series of drawers and holders in the administrative desks and examination rooms, all forms, laptops, medicines, syringes and the like have cleverly hidden homes, thus lessening the dreaded “feel” of a doctor’s office. The system not only looks better, but works better for the staff, as well.
Although the clinic caters very highly to the staff, the comfort and convenience of the patients are certainly not forgotten. For one, the rooms are highly insulated to avoid the particularly uncomfortable, yet typical experience of overhearing the doctor’s conversation with the patient in the next room. Such insulation, according to Starck, “works very well to preserve the privacy of the patients.”
With his concepts, Starck even sought to eliminate or at least lessen the most infamous frustration associated with doctor visits: the wait.
“In my office, I have lights [above the door] that tell me if a patient is waiting,” Starck said. “If there’s more than one patient ready, it tells me which patient is first, so I don’t have to ask. When I go in and see a patient, I turn off the light, and it tells me where to go next. It maximizes my time.”
The light system goes even further, as it also lets him and the technicians know when testing rooms are occupied “so nobody comes in through the other side.” He can also call his assistant from an examination room if he needs something by simply pressing a button. This allows him to “stay with the patient and not have to go out and yell in the hallway.”
From this intricate system of lights to the pullout laptop trays, the efficiency at UltraVision is a tough act to top. Its security is no exception, as the entire building is monitored by 24-hour surveillance. The room with the “extremely expensive” LASIK lasers gets special care with extra surveillance and independent temperature control, as “these machines are like Ferraris,” Starck said. “The temperature control, the lights and everything [have] to be perfect so the machines function at the best level.”
In short, the clinic isn’t called “the ultra-experience” for nothing. Starck had some good ideas, and they worked. The staff is “very happy here,” according to Iglesias, and Starck is glad for the opportunity to work in a clinic that “is exactly how we like it. There’s nothing in the clinic at this point that I can say, ‘this didn’t work like I thought it would.’ This is exactly what I wanted, and it works.”
