The Kirklin Clinic —Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence

The Kirklin Clinic opened its doors on June 15, 1992, with the vision of bringing unrivaled medical care to the people of Birmingham and beyond; conducting ground-breaking research; and educating the next generation of physicians and scientists. Since that day 20 years ago, The Kirklin Clinic has arrived at this vision and gone beyond. Here are five achievements we’re most proud of since opening our doors two decades ago.

1. Care to Millions. Since our doors opened in 1992, more than 10 million patients from every state in the nation and 30 countries around the world have received care at The Kirklin Clinic. The Clinic has more than 250 exam rooms and is staffed by more than 900 physicians who provide expert care in 35 different medical specialties. The Clinic was designed as a “super-clinic,” a high-tech, outpatient care center offering comprehensive treatment under one roof. Today The Kirklin Clinic serves 2,000 patients each day and is one of the busiest outpatient medical centers in America.
2. Advanced Technology. UAB was the first medical center in Alabama to use a PET-CT scanner. PET-CT, or Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography, is an imaging test that combines a PET scan with a CT scan to provide a more complete picture of the human body. PET-CT scans are able to detect small, but potentially life-threatening changes in the body, helping doctors treat them earlier, thus improving the patient’s chance of recovery.
3. Spiritual Support. To provide our patients and their families, as well as UAB employees with emotional and spiritual support, The Kirklin Clinic hired a fulltime chaplain. We believe it is essential to provide comfort to patients with compassion and confidentiality, regardless of faith or background.
4. High-Tech Health Records. At The Kirklin Clinic, hand written medical charts and prescriptions are a thing of the past, thanks to IMPACT, our electronic medical record. The record allows our care providers to view and update patient records from anywhere in the UAB Health System. For further patient convenience, pharmaceutical prescriptions can often be sent directly from the UAB system to the patient’s pharmacy.
5. Ambulatory Quality. In 2010, The Kirklin Clinic hired its first chief quality and patient safety officer, Emily Boohaker, MD, to oversee the initiation of The Clinic’s new ambulatory quality structure. The Kirklin Clinic is the first ambulatory care center in Alabama to receive a Progress Towards Excellence Award, the state’s top honors for quality performance and excellence, from the Alabama Productivity Center.