by Michelle Lau
June 22, 1998

When Bobbie DiCerbo, RN, comes to work at Nevada Resort Medical Services, she tends to her patients as any nurse would. But instead of the piercing ring of ambulance sirens, she’s likely to hear the excited screams of tourists who have won $100. That’s because DiCerbo works in a clinic within the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino in the heart of the Las Vegas strip.

DiCerbo is one of many healthcare professionals who are tailoring their services specifically for hotel guests. Now, tourists can dial up for not only a continental breakfast or a new set of towels, but also a hotel nurse or physician.

"It’s a nice on-site amenity," DiCerbo said. "From a nurse’s standpoint, we get to do a lot of teaching here because we have more time to spend with the patients."

The clinic, which is operated independently from the Imperial Palace, is open around-the-clock to guests of any hotel in the area. Guests call the clinic with a variety of ailments and choose between two options, DiCerbo said. They can ask a nurse and physician to examine them within the privacy of their hotel room, or they can take a free shuttle to the clinic—equipped with laboratory, minor surgery room, pharmacy, and X-ray facility, DiCerbo said.

Room service

While common in international resorts, fully equipped clinics like that at the Imperial Palace are rare in U.S. hotels. Instead, many hotels refer their patients to Hotel Docs, Interim Healthcare, or another of the many hotel healthcare services springing up around the country. Guests simply call one of these 24-hour services and explain their health problem to the company’s operator, and a physician or nurse is on the way.

One of the largest hotel healthcare businesses is Hotel Docs, which was started by entrepreneur Ian Becker in 1988. With a network of 2,500 physicians available, Hotel Docs—based in La Jolla—provides services in 250 cities nationwide and treats up to 18,000 patients per year.

"When you are away from home, you have a tight schedule, and the stress is mounting, any little ache becomes a major nightmare," Becker said. "With Hotel Docs, you can be treated in the convenience and security of your own room."

Hotel Docs generally sends pediatricians, gynecologists, general practitioners, and internists on assignments. When nurses are called upon for the job, however, the company refers hotel guests to Interim Healthcare, a national temporary staffing agency for nurses that coordinates with Hotel Docs. The hotel service is frequently used by business people who are fragile or disabled and need assistance with meals, medication, or bathing, said Jennifer Rudolph, Interim’s client service manager in the San Diego office. "You get that one-on-one attention because it’s just for you. If you walked into a clinic, you wouldn’t get that same attention," Rudolph said.

Happy, healthy guests

Many health professionals enter this sector of the hotel industry to supplement their income. Others do it because of the flexibility and the chance to meet a variety of people.

"Working for Hotel Docs is a great opportunity. It gives me the chance to meet people all over the country," said Leonard Schulkind, MD, a San Diego-based emergency room physician who works part time for Hotel Docs. "Rather than going to try to find an emergency room or urgent care, I think we do a pretty nice job in their room for them."

Many patients seek treatment for upper respiratory tract infections, muscle sprains, or urinary tract infections, as well as ear, sinus, migraine, and gastrointestinal problems. "The patients are from all walks of life," said Schulkind, who has treated a number of chief executives and foreign tourists. A few celebrities, such as athletes and movie stars, use the service as well, Becker said.

Patients seem satisfied with the service. "Without question, I would use the service again. The doctor was there remarkably fast. He was well-versed and caring. It saved us a lot of time," said Frances Schloss of Cincinnati, who called Hotel Docs when her husband complained of a urinary infection while vacationing in Phoenix.

When a patient’s problem is not serious enough to warrant a visit to the emergency room, a hotel health service is a good option, providers say. Excluding medicine, Hotel Docs costs $150 per visit, and physicians arrive in 35 minutes. In comparison, Schulkind—who earns 75 to 85 percent of the bill—estimates a trip to a hospital or ER would cost the same or more than Hotel Docs. And waiting in a busy ER can take as long as five hours, according to Becker.

Many travelers still aren’t aware of hotel healthcare options, but the idea is slowly catching on, providers say. Whether it’s an on-site medical clinic or a hotel health provider making house calls, it’s just one more luxury item—like ordering a masseuse or ringing the bellboy—to add to the long list of hotel comforts.

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