Healthcare facility planner Don McKahan, McKahan Planning Group, San Diego, discusses the changes that regulations, economics and patient preferences are having on healthcare facilities in a Q&A on the Health Facilities Management website.
Q: What are the most significant changes driving healthcare facility planning today?
A: Healthcare reform, new reimbursement schemes and evolving patient care strategies are upending traditional planning models. As hospitals move from quantity to quality, a new generation of more agile facilities is required.
These buildings need the flexibility to support several generations of ever-changing hospital departments during their lifespan. This includes structural solutions that provide simple, expandable corridor systems; interstitial space for evolving mechanical and electrical systems; and the inclusion of soft space for future expansion of critical diagnostic and treatment departments.
Upward Mobility: Market Forces Drive Hospitals Higher
Georgia Hospital Bomb Hoaxes Highlight Need for Healthcare–Police Partnerships
MUSC Health Celebrates Groundbreaking for Nexton Hospital and Ambulatory Cancer Facility
Mattresses Require Strict Care to Prevent Spread of Infections
Gardner Health Services Opens Alum Rock Health Center