Medical Construction & Design (MCD) is the industry's leading source for news and information and reaches all disciplines involved in the healthcare construction and design process.
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EVOLVING PATIENT POPULATIONS PART 1 OF 2 Healthcare leader PREDICTIONS Today's thoughts on the facility of tomorrow Compiled by Constance Nestor IT'S A VERY NEW FUTURE THAT'S FACING HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS. Healthcare as we knew it is a thing of the past. The Health Care Institute wanted to know how healthcare c-suite leaders are coping with this reality and their prescriptions for healthcare facility environments during the next 10 years. Thoughts on these challenges were found while conducting the HCI 2013 Healthcare C-Suite Leaders Survey. The survey included healthcare institutions of various sizes and types and from a range of U.S. geographic regions. Although common threads such as efficiency, remaining competitive and containing costs will always be at the forefront, the following is a portion of common themes discovered through the survey. Additional leader predictions and advice will appear in the next issue of MCD. TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND IMPLICATIONS ON DESIGN AND OPERATIONS John White, M.D., surgery dept. chairman, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital The hospital of the future will have significantly more technology. The operating room needs to change in support of patient safety — the reality of today's facilities is that we're retrofitting technology into an OR configuration that was designed in 1889 by Dr. Charlie Mayo. The Mayo design hasn't changed to embrace new technologies. The rooms aren't the least bit interactive with the patient, which is a big error with respect to eliminating medical errors in the ORs. Not enough people are dealing with this. Mark Herzog, CEO, Holy Family Memorial Health Reducing the need for and use of expensive technology and care settings and a population health-management approach are the only methods that will meaningfully and permanently change the cost curve. Lean approaches, the safest care and outstanding quality will be minimal requirements for successful healthcare providers in the very near future. Tom DeFauw, CEO, Port Huron Hospital We must rely on more cost-effective use of outpatient facilities. Another clear capital priority is our current investment in electronic health record technology, a very costly endeavor. While our age of plant is a concern, our IT financial commitment must come first. 24 Medical Construction & Design | November/December 2013 Eileen Gillespie, chief nursing officer, Presence Mercy Medical Center The most important factor is and will continue to be the ability to adapt to emerging disease and treatment modalities; to handle air flow and prevent the spreading of infectious disease. The future demands optimal environments that prevent the spread of infections. New and renovated facilities should be planned and designed with efficiency and an aging workforce in mind. Compact, efficient buildings with short walking distances are needed. How can we start to cluster around operationalized pods and teams? How can facilities help to better engage families in the care of their loved ones? Technology must be leveraged to spare footsteps and accelerate the timely delivery of care. Real-time decision support technology for patient surveillance is critical. Steve Driggers, M.D., chief medical officer, Holy Family Memorial Health More room options should be provided, especially for the increase in obese patients; and larger bathrooms. Swinging doors cause a lot of falls. Pocket doors, that can be left open most of the time, will be better. Mechanisms need to be found to unclutter rooms for the sake of cleanliness and visual orientation. Facilities need spaces for group patient forums and meetings. Statistically, diabetes patients treated in groups have better outcomes — resulting in more economical, more efficient education and wellness. Bryan Becker, M.D., associate vice president, University of Illinois Chicago Medical Center Healthcare executives are more willing to take risks and contemplate facilities and technologies from a patientcentered perspective. The ambulatory setting is untapped. www.mcdmag.com