The concept of Kaizen is not new to healthcare; as part of the Lean process derived from the Toyota Production System, the ideas of “continuous improvement” and the elimination of all waste in the manufacturing chain has been applied to U.S. healthcare in many ways, shapes, and forms over the last few years as facilities try to get smarter, faster, and better at healing people.
The fate of the uniquely designed old Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago hangs in the balance. As the debate swirls around whether to demolish this familiar sight which has been a part of the Streeterville area in Chicago since 1975, there is no denying that the hospital was ahead of its time in design.
As our firm has embarked on our Lean design initiative (See "Total Immersion in Lean Design" from the August 2012 issue of HEALTHCARE DESIGN), we have come to realize its importance.
In addition, we know the Lean design approach is applicable to our three primary market segments: healthcare, higher education, and research; but has its most promising reward in the healthcare industry.
The healthcare system exists to serve one person—the patient. There are hundreds of articles and speculation on the hospital of the future, patient-centered care, and the patient room of the future. I thought it would be fitting to talk about the patient for which we are planning and designing facilities of the future.
With the overlying goal of creating a friendly new welcoming entry point for visitors to the famous Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Perkins+Will teamed up with artist Spencer Finch to turn part of the massive 1.6-million-square-foot addition’s façade into an artist’s canvas.
One of my previous posts focused on the patient room as the epicenter of the patient experience and the cause and effect of the Patient Room Environment > Patient Experience > Patient Satisfaction > HCAHPS Scores.
Recently, a pediatric research team from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia reported that premature babies have a higher chance of survival when they are born in high-level, high-technology neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). That should come as no surprise as there have been tremendous leaps and bounds made in medical care for babies, but have those innovations in care and design kept pace with trends in adult healthcare design?
I, like many others, was a fan of the summer Olympic games. I was thrilled with each victory and was constantly amazed at the strength and endurance of each athlete.
I enjoyed the media coverage that would often provide the back story on how athletes started out and how they were encouraged by their parents and coaches.
When the cameras focused on the coaches, you could see all of the emotion and encouragement in their faces from the many hours devoted to training.
Project category: New construction (completed December 2010)
Chief administrator: Bobbie Gerhart, Chief Executive Officer, (937) 208-2475
Firm: NBBJ, (614) 232-3060
Design team: MEP Engineer (Korda/Nemeth Engineering, Inc.); Structural Engineer (Shell + Meyer Associates, Inc.); Civil Engineer (LJB Inc.); Lighting Designer (NBBJ); Construction Manager (Skanska Shook J.V.)
Photography: © Benjamin Benschneider; © Matthew Carbone; NBBJ
Total building area (sq. ft.): 440,000
Project category: New construction (completed May 2011)
Chief administrator: Jean Elrick, M.D., Senior Vice President, Administration, (617) 726-0430
Firms: NBBJ, (212) 924-9000; Chan Krieger Sieniewicz, (617) 218-4800
Are the traditional methods of sizing domestic hot water production equipment in hospitals obsolete? Are engineers installing more hot water production equipment than needed? Are we wasting energy by not “right sizing” the production equipment?
These are all good questions and the answers can impact hospital’s energy use and operating costs.
Project category: New construction (completed July 2011)
Chief Administrator: Mr. Jon Jackson, Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Office, (913) 588-1289
Firm: Cannon Design, (410) 234-1155
