Insights & Solutions

Technology is one of the most challenging issues in healthcare. The current combination of recent health reform laws, federal stimulus funds, and the ongoing wave of new healthcare technology can be described as a “tsunami” of sorts. Healthcare leaders are overwhelmed, as planning for the future of technology stands to transform many current care practices.  Successfully integrating technology means planning for today as well as anticipating future needs, and directly impacts the programming, planning, and design of all healthcare settings. 

As part of the technology toolbox, in this issue brief you will learn about why systems approach is needed to successfully integrate technology into the built environment, implications of the socio-technical system framework on planning and design around medical technology, and the impact of current and future technology on the continuum of care. 

This tool provides healthcare designers and professionals with technology principles/goals and how environmental, operational, and people measures can be implemented to achieve said goal.

Learn about: why a systems approach is needed to successfully integrate technology into the built environment, implications of the socio-technical system framework on planning and design around medical technology, and the impact of current and future technology on the continuum of care. 

Learn about: Geisinger Health System’s efforts to create a new Hybrid Operating Room that flexes to accommodate different surgical setups and storage needs, how vendors working closely together around common goals can improve efficiency and maximize results, and the need to maintain flexibility in the built environment to allow designs to meet changing circumstances and incorporate improved technologies. 

The following are compiled from research literature, case studies, interviews, and other materials to provide an overview on the topic of technology. 

The following are compiled from research literature, case studies, interviews, and other materials to provide an overview on the topic of patient-centered medical homes.  

A key effort in healthcare reform, the rapidly growing and evolving patient-centered medical home model of care calls for design innovations to support its successful implementation.

Learn about: Why every healthcare delivery system should reflect the needs of its community, how reorganizing care teams can improve patient satisfaction without demanding additional resources, and proactive population health modeling tools that enable real-time responses to health trends.