Orthopedic rehab with room service

Mark Fritz, chief executive officer for Remington Medical Resorts, said the proposed Lone Tree facility looks like a five-star hotel, but acts like a rehabilitation hospital.

Due to begin construction in early January, Remington Medical Resorts will be located on the corner of Park Meadows Boulevard and Sky Ridge Medical Center in the RidgeGate planned development.

The Remington Medical Resorts “guest” will come to the facility after surgery and appropriate rehabilitation from a hospital, such as knee replacement surgery.

“We refer to the rehab area as our fitness centers, and we have a pool that takes up a whole floor,” Fritz said.

Along with a treadmill in the pool, the water level and weight needed for the guest’s rehabilitation can be adjusted in the matter of minutes, and the paperless electronics allow a doctor to transmit information for the patient’s therapy quickly and easily.

“When the doctor’s patient comes to us, and heals quicker, is happy and has a positive state-of-mind, first and foremost the guest wins and so does the doctor,” Fritz said.

Approved by the Lone Tree City Council in 2008, the application has been submitted to the building department, and construction should begin in 2010.

Fritz said the two current medical resorts operating successfully in Texas have some of the best quality restaurants in the San Antonio area, with pastry, entree and salad chiefs.

The guest will not only be put on a rehabilitation routine, but may request room service, individual housekeeping service or a massage after a hard day of therapy. A newspaper with coffee and orange juice can be waiting at the guest’s private suite when they awake at 7 a.m.

“A lot of the patients will come to us after a hospital stay, primarily for orthopedic, but we do much more than that,” Fritz said.

Another type of guest that may visit the resort could be the cosmetic surgery patient, who is looking for discreet recovery during their stages of healing.

“Just the ambience of the whole resort is five-star, from private suites to calling down for a bell captain,” Fritz said. “The guests will have access to manicurist and hair stylists as well.”

Fritz said his philosophy has been that everyone who requires rehabilitation, either by elected surgery or other reasons, would rather be at home, so why not be at a facility that offers luxury components for their stay?

“Whatever the guest needs, we should be able to accommodate,” Fritz said.

According to Fritz, the Remington Medical Resorts in Texas have accepted the majority of major insurance plans, including Medicare.

“We are very similar to a hospital as far as insurance,” Fritz said.

The facility will have a capacity for 90 guests and sits on a 2.5-acre site.

Fritz said Remington Medical Resorts is the first to do this type of service anywhere that he knows of.

“The facility fits in with the RidgeGate plan, the medical surroundings, and has ideal access for visitors,” city council member Jackie Millet said. “With the I-25 and E-470 convenience.”