“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” begins Charles Dickens’s “A Tale of Two Cities.” Now, two centuries later, that sentiment strikes a familiar chord with design firm leaders who see U.S. healthcare projects in a continuing stalemate but international opportunities on the upswing, as countries around the globe look to the United States for healthcare design expertise.
In 2008, Spectrum Health Systems of Grand Rapids, Michigan, noted an interesting finding in its staff satisfaction surveys: Employees were generally unhappy with the quality of their break rooms. To respond to this piece of information, the health system initiated what it called an “Extreme Break Room Makeover” competition, encouraging departments to nominate their respite areas for a facelift. Out of 60 entries, three were selected.
Cancer treatment is evolving. In the era of genomic medicine with new knowledge emerging from research, two trends are paramount in cancer center design—supporting personalized medicine and creating rapid translational research from bench to bedside. The approach of translational research is a two-way street. Basic scientists provide clinicians with new tools for use in patient care and for assessing their impact, and clinical researchers make novel observations about the nature and progression of disease that stimulate basic investigations.
Lancaster General Health (LGH), a regional healthcare system based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, offers comprehensive healthcare services to Lancaster County residents, ranging from emergency medicine and general surgery to cancer care and women’s health.
Inpatient room satisfaction peer ranking moved from the 19th percentile to the 94th percentile. Falls with injuries were reduced by 86%. Medication errors were reduced by 19%. These are just some of the exciting results Paoli Hospital has witnessed since opening its new Patient Pavilion just two years ago.
In June at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) presented The Center for Health Design (CHD) with its Star Award.
Palomar Pomerado Health in North San Diego County has spent the past six years with a certain question in mind during the planning and construction of its replacement hospital: What is the hospital of the future?
Today, many healthcare leaders are reshaping their vision, strategy, and model for healthcare care delivery. There are three critical success factors that enable an institution to meet its strategic goals in this challenging healthcare environment: leadership, focus, and expertise. University Hospitals (UH), located in Northeast Ohio, is a model system that exemplifies the application of these critical success factors in the development and implementation of its Vision 2010 strategic plan.
“Eighty percent of premature deaths from heart disease could be avoided if individuals made lifestyle changes and took control of the three principal risk factors for heart disease—smoking, unhealthy eating, and physical inactivity.”
Is “patient-centered” design becoming a cliché? Some say yes, that the term covers everything these days from warmly hospitable to bare minimalist, depending on the tastes (and budgets) of the sponsors. When a leading faith-based healthcare system commits to defining “patient-centered,” though, it can take on new meaning.
Many firms in healthcare design spend a great deal of time and money developing their brand image. Marketing communications departments consistently crank out elaborate and sophisticated material that highlights their firm’s great projects and significant capabilities. Fostering a strong brand image is an essential part of running just about any successful business and is often highly effective in influencing the perception of prospective clients and consumers.
Providers who continue to sit on the fence about adopting Lean processes in their operations can look to the bottom line for evidence of need. This article highlights such problems as wasteful practices, excess inventory, unused capacity, and other factors that Lean operations can help solve. It describes how Lean process can be “designed-in” to the built environment.
The stage is set
