April 28, 2016

The Scoop

Perfecting Patient Flow and Experience

​In ambulatory care facilities, Lean methodology can improve the patient experience “by making sure that the movement of a patient through these buildings is as effortless as possible, takes as few footsteps as possible and gets the patient out and back home as quickly as possible,” says Andy Jarvis, AIA, LEED AP, principal and health care design practice leader in the New York office of EwingCole. Beyond patient satisfaction, “throughput is a definite advantage of Lean design in leveraging the capital investment in these facilities,” Jarvis says.
Health Facilities Management, more...
 

A Different Approach To ED Design

Neighbors Health System (Pearland, Texas) had opened more than 20 freestanding emergency facilities in Texas and Colorado since 2008, with 10 more in the works, when it decided it was time to change its prototype.

Specifically, the regional emergency care operator wanted to rethink the traditional layout and operations of the ED to reduce the time patients wait to see a doctor. “The best way to do that is to put the doctor next to the front door,” says Dr. Setul Patel, president and CEO of Neighbors Health System. Healthcare Design, more...

Life Safety Assessments for Healthcare Facilities

Accredited healthcare organizations are familiar with the extensive amount of preparation required every three years in advance of the Joint Commission’s survey. One component of the Joint Commission’s survey determines a facility’s compliance with the Life Safety Code NFPA 101. Hiring a qualified architecture and engineering (A/E) firm to conduct a Life Safety Assessment and prepare for this aspect of the accreditation survey is the best way to ensure a smooth and successful process. 
Healthcare Facilities Today, more...
 

Seek Out More Evidence in Evidence-Based Design

The phrase “evidence-based medicine” is common and important in the world of healthcare.  Designers have adopted the same idea, which we call  “evidence-based design.” 

The idea is simple.  We should design spaces based on solid, proven scientific principles so that we know the space will work for the patients it serves.  Unfortunately, there really isn’t much science to support evidence-based design in behavioral health.  Behavioral Healthcare, more...

 

UPMC Advances Virtual Care Visits

UPMC, the huge Pittsburgh-based health care network, developed an important enhancement to its telehealth program. It deployed a comprehensive cloud-based platform that will facilitate virtual care visits to those with chronic diseases.

Initially, the program from Vivify Health, Plano, Texas, was deployed across two service lines: patients with congestive heart failure and those in the UPMC Health Plan’s advanced-illness care program. The system enables patients to transmit biometric data and other information easily through any consumer mobile device directly to care teams for analysis and rapid follow-up. Health Facilities Management, more...
 

How Bitcoin's Sister Technology Could Change the Future of Healthcare

Every time a patient sees their physician, they create a wake of digital activity, Micha Winkelspecht, CEO of Gem says. That wake ripples through the care continuum, from the pharmacist who fills a prescription to the pharmaceutical firms from which they order drugs.

"What the blockchain allows us to do is create a new type of fabric for the underlying infrastructure of the entire healthcare industry," Mr. Winkelspecht said. "It would allow all parties — from insurers to providers — to connect in real-time and share information essentially instantly, without having to pass paper or even data back and forth."  Becker's Healthcare, more...

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