By Healthcare Facilities Today

Henry Ford Health System near Detroit looks and feels like a luxury hotel -- and treats patients like valued guests, according to an article and video on the CBS News website.

Nancy Schlichting, chief executive officer of Henry Ford said her goal was to build a hospital that would become a go-to destination, a place people actually wanted to be.

Schlichting recognized that hospitals needed an image makeover, but she took a leap of faith by hiring an executive from Ritz-Carlton to design, and then run, the $360 million facility, according to the article.

The focus on patients begins immediately. Arriving guests are greeted by wheelchair valets. They pass by a spa, the hair salon, and designer gift shops as they travel through an enclosed atrium to their private room.

Dr. Mark Rosenblum heads the hospital's neurosurgery department said the patient-focused approach speeds up the healing process. 

"Any patient's family can stay here anytime, night or day," Rosenblum said in the article. "It's important for a patient's well-being and recovery to see their loved ones, to be less in a stark, uncomfortable, unusual environment. We think it helps."

Read the article and watch accompanying video.