The most modern clinic in Scandinavia

In Mölndal, just outside Gothenburg, stands a brand new building with a glass façade. Bright sunlight floods in through the glass walls. A terrace runs around the building, acting as a screen and helping to save thermal energy. With its GOLD environmental classification, the construction is the first of its kind in Europe.

The upper floor houses Art Clinic, a private actor offering a variety of surgical interventions both for County Council patients, insurance companies and private customers.

The clinic in Mölndal is the most recent in the Art Clinic family, which also has centres in Uppsala, Jönköping and Halmstad. It previously occupied much less space in an older building, but has now moved into these new premises.

As the name suggests, the decoration is fresh and clean and the walls are adorned with colourful artworks by artists including Sweden’s Dagmar Glemme. On the lower floor there is a gym and café, and on the roof a terrace with a wonderful view where both customers and staff can relax and get a breath of fresh air.

“We have been determined from the start to give our customers bright, pleasant surroundings rather than a hospital environment”, says Ronnie Petterson, CEO of Art Clinic.

Ronnie originally trained as a butler, which gave him a strong instinct for customer service. Having undergone a number of unpleasant experiences as a patient at an early age, he decided to do something to improve the way that patients are treated in the healthcare process. He founded his first clinic in Oslo with a number of doctors, and is constantly developing the concept.

“A straightforward patient flow which respects customer integrity is our primary mission. All of our staff learn to approach and meet the patient as a person.”

The patient flow in focus

Art Clinic carries out primarily plastic surgery, back surgery, general orthopaedics, general surgery and also urology. The room layout and fittings are designed to ensure that the flow is as smooth and logical as possible. The patients follow a well-planned route from changing room to operating theatre and recovery, and the internal lift means that they can move discreetly between the different floors.

The operating theatres are hyper-modern with a great deal of new technology. The advanced ventilation system ensures that the pressure is correct in the room (supplies extremely clean air, 0-3 CFU). The old image management system has been replaced with Merivaara’s OpenOR.

“We fell in love with the simple user interface and the opportunity to carry out consultations and video conferences in real time”, says Ronnie.

With OpenOR they can easily handle image material both during and after the operation.

“It’s very useful to be able to spread the images across several monitors in the operating theatre. Everyone in the team then becomes more of a participant in the operation than previously, which is a very positive development”, says Anneli Nyman, senior operating theatre nurse.

Merivaara has also delivered surgical lights, lamps and the actual operating table, together with beds and tables for the recovery room and patient rooms.

“To learn to use everything correctly requires constant practice – ideally with supervision until the routines are established. This is where Merivaara have been very helpful and we really appreciate their presence.”

“It’s very useful to be able to spread the images across several monitors in the operating theatre. Everyone in the team then becomes more of a participant in the operation than previously, which is a very positive development”, says Anneli Nyman, senior operating theatre nurse.

Merivaara has also delivered surgical lights, lamps and the actual operating table, together with beds and tables for the recovery room and patient rooms.

“To learn to use everything correctly requires constant practice – ideally with supervision until the routines are established. This is where Merivaara have been very helpful and we really appreciate their presence.”

Merivaara has also delivered surgical lights, lamps and the actual operating table, together with beds and tables for the recovery room and patient rooms.

“To learn to use everything correctly requires constant practice – ideally with supervision until the routines are established. This is where Merivaara have been very helpful and we really appreciate their presence.”

Skilled and motivated staff are the heart of the business

But Art Clinic isn’t designed only for the patients who need healthcare. It is seen to be at least as important that staff are happy. The clinic has invested in more than just pleasant premises and advanced medical devices; it also offers its staff opportunities for continuing education. Further education within areas such as aesthetic surgery is not common in Sweden, and as the technology advances, healthcare personnel within all areas must constantly update their knowledge.

Together with Merivaara, Art Clinic can offer more technical training for medical technicians, clinics and doctors. 

“We see the academy as an important part of our business. We are already providing both internal and external training courses. Thanks to our OpenOR system, course participants can follow operations in real time from our conference room and the operation team thereby gets to work undisturbed in the actual theatre”, explains Ronnie Petterson.

Art Clinic also collaborates with the public sector in other ways. Public hospitals can rent premises, for example during renovations. During this period they also have the opportunity to learn more about Art Clinic’s patient-centred philosophy and streamlined processes.  This contributes to making the clinic an attractive workplace.

“Many doctors and nurses ring us wanting to join the team after having seen the clinic”, says Ulrik Lewin, HR Manager at Art Clinic.

“We now have 65 permanent employees but up to 160 in total including consultants, who often have a position elsewhere.”

Art Clinic – quality, security and care

• Founded in 1999 in Gothenburg
• Clinics in Uppsala, Halmstad, Jönköping and Mölndal near Gothenburg
• The Mölndal clinic has 4 operating theatres with 12 recovery places and 11 ward rooms
• There is also a ward for outpatient surgery with an operating theatre and recovery room
• Depending on the operation type, the clinic deals with 10–20 operations per day (plus outpatient surgery)