Visits to the emergency department (ED) have outpaced population growth, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management. Recent design strategies maximize departmental resources and reduce both wait times and the number of patients who leave without having been seen.
Recent design options include:
• Mapping all key decision points from the street to the ED entrance
• Providing a welcoming destination inside the department
• Eliminating the negative associations of waiting rooms
• Improving wayfinding to treatment areas
Health systems must view the ED within the context of an overall care model, the article said. With additional resources and new care environments, the ED can feed a revenue pipeline.
Building Around Care: Lessons in Modernizing Active Healthcare Environments
St. Luke's Heart Hospital Opens at Anderson Campus in Pennsylvania
WindRose Health Network Ensnared in Vendor Data Breach
How Efficiency Checklists Help Hospitals Save Energy, Water and Money
Intermountain Healthcare Receives $50M Gift for Standalone Children's Hospital