Medical Construction & Design

JAN-FEB 2016

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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MCDM AG.COM | JA N UA RY/ F EBRUA RY 2016 | Medical Construction & Design 31 Nearly 74 percent of healthcare providers plan major investments in ambulatory care within the next two years, according to the survey. At the same time, 72 percent of providers say they also will be investing in traditional hospitals. department instead of several long hall- ways away and placing a rehab gym on the same fl oor as its orthopedic surgery patients to reconfi guring roads, parking lots, the main entrance and drop-of and pickup areas for greater ease of use. It also is designing spaces to accommodate more technology to increase the speed and ac- curacy of care. For major projects, more hospitals are involving the people most af ected: clini- cians and patients. Nearly three in four, or 72 percent, of providers said that they always or usually seek input from caregiv- ers and patients while 63 percent always or usually analyze movements to facilitate Lean workfl ows. For its new $500-million facility, Sanford Fargo Medical Center in Fargo, North Dakota used augmented reality to gather feedback. Projecting a 3-D visualization of the planned headwall behind an actual patient bed, nurses evaluated equipment placement and other room features. The 3-D tool enabled the design and construction team to make adjustments to the projected headwall in real-time so nurses could try out their suggested modifi cations until they agreed on the optimal arrangement. Green movement generates more greenbacks The green movement not only boosts a hospital's reputation but its bottom line, making increased energy ef ciency a prime objective for existing and new facilities. To cut its operating costs, one suburban Chicago medical center is replacing its decades-old heating, water, cooling and electrical systems. In another case, a re- placement hospital installed state-of-the- art mechanical systems that monitor and adjust energy use so they operate at the highest ef ciency. Other steps hospitals are taking include using high-performing building materials for new construction and installing more energy-ef cient lighting and low-fl ow toilets. More insured need more options for access Thanks to the healthcare law, 31 states and the District of Columbia so far have expanded Medicaid, af ecting nearly 8 million people, according to FamiliesUSA, and more than 9 million have bought health coverage on the government exchanges. While these newly insured are distributed across the United States, they still represent a signifi cant increase in people likely to seek care — equivalent to more than two times the entire population of New York City. To address access, hospitals are expand- ing of -site locations, as well as moderniz- ing their medical centers to fi t the shifting patient mix and better utilize their foot- print. In particular, hospitals are moving to simultaneously focus on higher-acuity inpatients, while expanding outpatient pro- cedure space and services within their pri- mary facilities. One hospital, for example, is renovating its fi rst fl oor to update its gas- troenterology suite, observation unit and interventional radiology rooms because of growing patient demand for these services. Hospitals also are exploring ways to leverage technology to increase access in a cost-ef ective way, namely with dif erent forms of telemedicine. Nearly half of all healthcare providers believe that, except for acutely ill patients, most people do not require an in-person evaluation by their physicians, according to survey results. Many trends in new facility design and improvements started before the enact- ment of the healthcare law; not all are driven by the ACA. But the healthcare law has given new urgency to many of these changes. As it spurs hospitals to rethink how and where they deliver care, health- care facility design, development and op- erations will remain a driver of continued innovation, ef ciency and access. Editor's Note: For more details on the 2015 Mortenson Healthcare Industry Study, visit mortenson.com. Larry Arndt is general manager, healthcare, at Mortenson Construction.

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