Blog Contribution by NIHD Board Member Kevin Meek RN-BSN, BA, MHI, EDAC, FACHE.
As we see so many organizations transitioning to a more outpatient focused model of care, what is happening to the acute care facilities that once housed the only sites of care? Hospitals and health systems across the country have transitioned from looking at how an ‘outpatient’ delivery of care works within an ‘inpatient’ model – to now trying to figure out how to survive in providing ‘inpatient’ care in a ‘outpatient’ model.
With more and more surgeries, now inclusive of total joint replacements and heart catheterizations, moving to ambulatory care centers, organizations are reevaluating new construction, remodeling, and expansion plans. Design and Consulting teams are now being challenged to repurpose in a whole new way – one that allows for previously dedicated space to be flexible and multi-purpose. Facilities are often looking at ways to reduce inpatient bed counts as admissions decline due to more procedures being performed outside the four walls of the hospital.
As the shift in care continues, organizations must ensure that they remain financially viable in the acute care setting or we may begin to see undesirable closures similar to those being seen in the rural health environment. Maximizing operations through strategic design modifications to existing buildings instead of developing greenfield opportunities may be the only sustainable financial direction for many systems to take.
Blog Contribution by NIHD Board Member Kevin Meek RN-BSN, BA, MHI, EDAC, FACHE.
Where do you see the shift in care affecting design for acute care centers? At NIHD, we engage our members and the industry to shape the future of healthcare environments through clinical and inter-professional leadership.
Blog Contribution by NIHD Board Member Kevin Meek RN-BSN, BA, MHI, EDAC, FACHE. He is Vice President - Advisory Services at The Haskell Company and can be reached at kevin.meek@haskell.com.