CREJ

/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / DECEMBER 2016

Improved Patient Experience: Team-based Care

eam-based health care provides health

services to individuals and families by

a group of health providers who work

collaboratively with patients and center care

around the patient’s individual needs. This de-

livery model makes shared goals a priority in

order to achieve coordinated, high-quality care.

Growing in popularity due to mounting evidence

of enhanced patient experience, this model is

now used in several Colorado health care facilities.

In the team-based delivery model, providers are

the leaders of the care team, which includes not only

doctors, but also nurses, physical, speech, and occu-

pational therapists, and administrative support staff.

Its purpose is to create a remarkable patient experi-

ence by engaging the patient at every point in the

process, providing services to fit the

patient’s

needs,

and making it easy for the patient to access the re-

sources that support lifelong wellness. Our firm has

been fortunate to design transformative health care

facilities based on this model, among them: Craig

Hospital, Penrose Hospital, St. Francis Medical Center,

Denver Health Southwest Family Health Center and

Peak Vista Community Health Centers.

When designing a team-based health care fa-

cility, the focus must be upon facilitating the col-

laborative effort among the care team members

to promote health through prevention, wellness

and lifestyle changes – rather than each individual

caregiver being responsible only for his own disci-

pline. Staff employs an integrative approach that

embraces mind, body and spirit. Architects need to

think outside the box of traditional health care de-

livery. How can we make facilities that are designed

for care teams to better collaborate? How far can we

go to create easy access and a relaxed, welcoming

atmosphere? When working in a medically under-

served neighborhood, how can a family and neigh-

borhood-friendly environment be designed to en-

hance community participation and pride?

For optimal operational flow among care team

members, the clinical pod concept is often used. The

entire clinical area is broken into pods that support

a given number of exam rooms. Registration areas

are conveniently located to serve the clinical pods.

The care team in each pod is organized in such a

way that the team can have direct line of sight to

all exam rooms so that they can respond immedi-

John C.

Hoelscher,

AIA, ACHA

Principal,

RTA

Architects

ELEMENTS

Health Care

Care team stations have direct sight lines to the exams room in the pod. Flexible furnishings allow the

space to be reconfigured as needed, and colorful artwork lends a cheerful welcoming feel.