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Hospital Administrator
What Good Strategic Design Can Do

(Excerpt from 1998 Summer-Fall issue of Aesclepius)

"How does an organization measure the value of design as a strategic investment? Having worked as part of a team involved in the creation of a new children's hospital in Providence, R.I., and in Westchester County, N.Y., I believe it is essential to quantify this perceived value.

The following statistics, which were measured approximately four years after occupancy of the hospital in Providence reflect the experience of what good strategic design can do for an institution:

• Market share increased 20.5% in three years.
• Outpatient/emergency visits increased 25% the first year.
• Inpatient days increased each successive year after opening.
• Patient satisfaction increased 5.5% after opening.
• Monthly volunteers grew from 40 to 400.
• House staff applicants doubled in one year.
• Annual giving to the hospital increased from $125,000 to $1.5 million.
• More print columns were devoted to the hospital opening than any other event in the state's history.

In reflecting on the potential reasons for success, a significant component is the building design. Another element that significantly contributed to and enhanced the success of the building design was the involvement of the hospital1s multiple customers. Not only did hundreds of physicians, nurses, child life staff members, and other health professionals participate in every step of the process, but also parents and children."

Bruce Komiske, FACHE,
Executive Director
Children's Hospital Foundation at Westchester Medical Center
Valhalla, N.Y.