Medical Journal Houston Vol. 10, Issue 12, March 2014

Legal Affairs: Final rule expands individuals’ access rights to laboratory test results, see page 4

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The Leading Source for Healthcare Business News
March 2014 • Volume 10, Issue 12 • $3.50

Special Feature: Construction Report
INSIDE
▼
LINQ - Insertable Cardiac
Monitoring System
see page 7

INDEX
▼
Financial Perspectives.......3
Legal Affairs......................4
Integrative Medicine.........6
Technology.......................7
Moving on Up..................8
THA................................10
Hospital Headlines..........11
Physicians Forum............13

Finding the spa within
see page 6

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Four trends in healthcare facility design
in the wake of healthcare reform
BY Andrew Quirk
Senior Vice President
and National Director,
Skanska’s Healthcare
Center of Excellence
For the construction industry,
healthcare reform is starting
to have a positive effect on business.
As providers continue to question and
reevaluate their spaces, taking into account
the aging population and actual patient and
family demand, there has been an increase
in request for proposals, including in larger
projects that are more than $100 million.
Below are some common themes that have
been working for facilities in Houston
and across the United States in this new
patient-focused model of care. Many of
these trends and shifts are gradual, but they
illustrate how healthcare facility owners
are approaching new projects strategically
with an emphasis on the patient in order
to increase efficiency and impact revenue.
By offering more convenient, modern
delivery models and location options, as
well as reevaluating space and location of
employees and care providers, healthcare
facilities are implementing construction
projects that enable a more efficient,
productive, revenue-producing environment
that benefits provider and patient equally.
There has been a monumental shift to
create environments that are designed
and constructed to provide highly patientfocused care, and therefore new care
models, such as Patient Centered Medical
Homes (PCMH). PCMH implementation,
which has accelerated as a result of
healthcare reform, is improving operational

efficiencies. For example, one element of a
PCMH is shared space for doctors. Shared
space enables patients to have all their
health needs evaluated in one place. With
this model, gone are the days when a patient
would have to wait to have a procedure, then
a reading, and then a prescription – all in
different departments and various locations.
Now that entire process takes place at one
location, in one day. This model leads to less
time per procedure, which adds to overall
productivity, profit and most importantly,
patient satisfaction.
Local providers
including Texas Children’s Pediatrics and
Memorial Hermann Healthcare System are
utilizing the PCMH model.
To accommodate the patient and the aging
population, hospitals are breaking into
smaller communities in two ways and for
two main reasons – to establish market
share and provide improved convenience.
One common strategy for breaking into a
market is constructing a new freestanding
emergency (ED) department. Typically, a
new ED is part of a healthcare facility’s longterm expansion plan to enter into a specific
market in order to provide the regional,
suburban consumer with a closer facility
that is easier for them to access.
Hospitals are also exploring new alternative
space options, such as vacant office space
and big box retail space. Office spaces

typically feature entryways that are similar
in design as those of a hospital; therefore,
the space is easily repurposed and does not
require much upfront investment.
Vacant space previously occupied by big
box retailers are often very well established
– people are intimately familiar with these
venues, and they are traditionally located in
highly populated areas next to frequently
used highways. In addition, these locations
are optimally designed to create a onestop-shop for healthcare as they are often
surrounded by other retailers who present
value to a provider’s employees, patients
and their families, and other visitors. These
spaces typically have many parking options,
as well.
There is growing demand to maximize every
square foot of space in a hospital to ensure
each square foot is profitable. As a result,
healthcare providers have begun to borrow
methods from other industries to decrease
wait time and increase productivity. For
example, hospitals have begun integrating
kiosks, which are common means of checkin at airports. At Texas Children’s Hospital’s
West Campus, kiosks throughout the facility
can be used by parents to update patient
information, check in for an appointment,
or to make a co-payment.
Please see CONSTRUCTION page 26

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