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.
Rethinking Carpeting's Role in Senior Care Facilities
Parkview Health Breaks Ground on New Hospital in West Lafayette, IN
Loma Linda University Health Experiences Data Breach via AI Tool
Inside One of Healthcare's Most Ambitious Hospital Projects 
Turning Condensate Loss into a Systemwide Steam Efficiency Opportunity