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Industry News Briefs
Patient Satisfaction, Market Needs Drive Healthcare
Renovation Trends
From updated emergency departments to microhospitals and specialty facilities, renovation and construction trends in healthcare focus on meeting patient and market needs while navigating an unpredictable legislative landscape.
At the end of 2017, more than 15,000 healthcare construction projects were underway in the United States, with an expected 3.5 percent growth in healthcare spending in 2018, according the American Institute of Architects.
Among the top renovation/construction trends are emergency department upgrades, micro-hospitals, acute care facilities and upgrades to energy management systems, operating rooms, hospital pharmacies and patient rooms.
Healthcare Facilities Today, more. . .
The Future of Telehealth and What It Means for Facilities Management
The practice of doctors making house calls to see patients in their own homes was popular back in the 1930s and 40s. In fact, house calls accounted for 40% of U.S. doctors’ visits at the time. Medical professionals would arrive at a patient’s home at a moment’s notice, bringing with them all the tools they needed to provide the best care (the “best care” for the 40s, that is). As house calls have become virtually nonexistent today, who would have thought they’d make a virtual comeback?
While our healthcare industry has certainly advanced from the 20th century, telehealth is putting a 21st century spin on the old-fashioned house call. Now, instead of opening a door, patients simply need to open an app.
Healthcare Facilities Today, more...
Missing Piece
Earlier this year, I found myself spending extended periods of time in hospitals—first with my dad who was having heart surgery and then with a dear friend who was dealing with complications from a post-cancer liver transplant. These visits provided a unique opportunity to experience hospitals as an end-user and not as a healthcare design professional.
There were noticeable similarities and differences between the two facilities, one a large teaching hospital and the other a community hospital. One thing that jumped out at me in both cases, though, was how quiet the patient floors were. Both had done a great job of reducing noise in the corridors, keeping patient room doors closed, and eliminating overhead paging.
Healthcare Design, more...
Nuance’s AI Makeover to Clinical Documentation Takes Exam Room to the Future
At the annual HIMSS conference this year, Nuance revealed its Ambient Clinical Intelligence technology, which brings AI into the whole exam room to promote natural language interaction.
Enough has been said about the lack of patient-centricity of the exam room where the doctor sits ensconced next to the computer, dutifully taking notes, as the patient rattles off a list of maladies.
Physically and emotionally, the exam room is cold with little eye contact between patient and doctor. Ironically, one technology company is relying on machines and artificial intelligence to bring back the warmth to the doctor-patient interaction in the exam room and catapult clinical documentation to the future.
MedCityNews, more . . .
Community and Staff Input Informs New North Dakota Hospital
Over the last few years, a North Dakota healthcare system has taken a step back and focused on addressing what its community needs – community based, top-of-the-line healthcare facilities and services. A new $305 million-dollar Altru hospital in Grand Forks, slated for completion in 2022, hopes to meet those needs for the region it serves.
After a significant structural failure, the old ambulatory clinic was deemed unsafe. Rather than rebuilding, Altru dispersed its services to its other clinics and moved forward with a project: a comprehensive, full-service hospital.
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, more . . .
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