Doctor in the Mall? : After Shopping for Clothes, You Can Pick Out a Physician

When Francine Myers went shopping at Topanga Plaza on Tuesday, she acquired more than just new clothes. She also found a new doctor.

Myers, of Canoga Park, got her new doctor’s name through a physician referral service set up in the mall by AMI Tarzana Regional Medical Center.

Although most hospitals have physician referral services, Tarzana officials said theirs is the first in the San Fernando Valley to set up in a shopping mall.

Staff members at the mall referral booth take detailed information from customers and match them with one of 300 doctors affiliated with the hospital, said Kathryn Haisan, referral manager.

Myers told Haisan that she was looking for a family doctor. Haisan asked Myers a number of questions, including what kind of insurance coverage she had, if she had any preferences about the sex or location of the doctor, and what were the most convenient times for appointments.

The information was processed through a computer that produced a list of five doctors that best matched Myers’ needs.

Myers was given information on the five doctors, ranging from their ages to their educational backgrounds and experience.

Myers was pleased with the referral.

“It worked for me,” she said.

She said she especially liked being able to get some background information on the doctors. “Anything that I can know about a doctor is good.”

Myers also said she would take advantage of a free 15-minute consultation with the doctor. The consultation offered by the referral service gives patients a chance to make sure they have made the right choice, Haisan said.

Another shopper who used the service was Karen Gross, 21, of Simi Valley.

Gross said she had been looking for a woman gynecologist in her area for some time. She said she had looked through the Yellow Pages but was uncomfortable with the idea of going to a doctor she did not know anything about.

Gross left the mall with the name of a doctor near her home, plus background information.

The center is staffed by one full-time and five part-time workers, Haisan said. Besides finding a physician, shoppers can have their blood pressure taken and pick up brochures on public and private agencies.

Tarzana set up the referral service earlier this month in an effort to reach a broader audience, Haisan said. “We asked, ‘Where can we reach the most people,’ and malls came to mind,” she said.

It is also a sign of the intense competition among hospitals for patients, hospital officials said.

“Hospitals are in trouble with low census, the total number of patients,” said Sandy Suchockas, public relations coordinator at Granada Hills Community Hospital.

Most hospitals have some kind of physician referral service, said Johana Rogovin, director of marketing for Sherman Oaks Community Hospital.

Hospitals advertise their services, including physician referrals, through brochure mailings, local newspapers and radio stations, she said. All of the literature that goes out from her hospital mentions a physician referral service, Rogovin said.

Gregory Worth, director of business development at Encino Hospital, said that, although Tarzana’s referral service in a mall is unusual, hospitals often offer free services such as blood-pressure screenings at malls.

The physician referral service fulfills a dual purpose. It is “a community service and a marketing tool,” he said.