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MCDM AG.COM | JA N UA RY/ F EBRUA RY 2018 | Medical Construction & Design 43 the clinics and wellness centers to be built, but rather how to support population health holistically. While the service lines were customized to community needs, col- laboration and connectivity are also built into the plan. Once service line and site selection planning are complete, facility design follows. It's imperative to build spaces that encourage patients to visit and cre- ate an environment that supports care. Consumerism is at play again here, in terms of convenience and experience. Design the patient experience Healthcare facilities are increasingly taking a hospitality or retail-inspired approach. Many registration desks now look similar to hotel lobbies. Spaces are also becoming more amenity-rich. Cafés, coff ee shops, retail pharmacies and even valet parking make life more convenient and enhance the patient experience. Patients want pleasant environments. Architecture and interior design are critical to creating nurturing, restorative, caring environments that denote expertise and quality. Bright spaces that maximize daylight and connection to the outdoors provide a tranquil, healing atmosphere. Outpatient facilities should also refl ect the communities which they serve. Designing to instill a sense of place and connection to the community helps integrate the facility. It signals to residents that the facility is there to serve them and that connection is important to make patients feel welcome. Tampa General Hospital's Brandon Healthplex is an example of a multi-facility strategy that supports accessibility and convenience. Tampa General Hospital's campus on Davis Island, Florida, serves a large market, but being on an island means it has strong physical boundaries and high density. Given how fundamental access is to supporting population health, adding Brandon Healthplex provided another ac- cess point, decompressed the campus and improved accessibility for high-quality care in a more suburban area. But again, access is only a piece of the puzzle. Brandon Healthplex is a bright, inviting space with plenty of daylight and connec- tion to the outdoors. It features a wide vari- ety of acuity levels and service lines, as well as a helipad for rapid transport to the main campus, retail pharmacy, valet parking and a coff ee shop. It houses nearly everything a patient needs in a warm, healing retail-like environment so going to the doctor is more convenient and more pleasant. The number of services provided onsite makes col- laboration between care providers easier. Furthermore, it's connected physically and through technology to the main campus. Foster collaboration Connectivity and collaboration should be primary objectives in design as well. In de- signing a facility that instills a strong sense of place, how can the ambulatory hub be- come a patient's medical home? Outpatient care centers can and should provide con- nectivity and continuity of care for the pa- tient in order to support population health. The design should support face-to-face, as well as virtual collaboration. Physically placing diff erent specialties in the same building facilitates face-to- face interaction amongst care providers. Integrated technology connects providers, as well as patients. EHRs should mean that various physicians are aware of each other's treatment plans. Patients should no longer have to list out every medication and condition to various physicians with access to their EHR. Connectivity can also further enhance convenience. There are several health systems embracing the power of personal diagnostic tools and virtual visits. Facility design should support virtual visits, particularly for preventive care, because it is convenient for patients; convenience increases the propensity for patients to engage. Build health Outpatient care is an important tool for advancing population health, but success is dependent on smart planning and design. It's crucial to understand the market. Have a clear understanding of the health needs of a community, as well as look for patterns and trends regarding how those needs are changing. Only then can holistic resources specifi c to those needs be assembled. From there, the design must support patient expectations and create maximum synergy. Taking cues from the retail and hospital- ity industries, healthcare facilities need to create accessible, convenient and amenity- rich, pleasant environments. Ensure a single patient record that is portable and all providers have access to, provide an envi- ronment where care providers can interact eff ectively physically and virtually, and mandate that collaboration as a baseline expectation. It is not enough to build an ambulatory hub and assume that accessibil- ity will support community health. It takes a customized, collaborative approach built fi rst and foremost with patient and commu- nity needs and expectations in mind. James. R. Kolb, AIA, LEED AP, is a senior healthcare designer at Gresham, Smith and Partners. From left: Healthcare environments have been taking design cues from the retail and hospitality industries. Brandon Healthplex features a hotel-inspired lobby. > Amenity-rich healthcare environments are proliferating — such as a café at Brandon Healthplex — which enhance the patient experience. 13 Number of beds in post-anesthesia care unit at TGH Brandon Healthplex outpatient surgery center — tghhealthplex.com 24 Number of pre- and post-procedure bays at TGH Brandon Healthplex outpatient surgery center — tghhealthplex.com