Page 14
— Health Care Properties Quarterly — September 2016
“Patients and families, often sit
in waiting rooms for long periods
of time, which can increase stress and
anxiety,” wrote Sinclair. “Designing
these spaces to be flexible and provide
choices that support patients and fam-
ily members has become essential.
Creating multifunctional areas for
privacy, relaxation, large families to
gather, information sharing between
families and/or physicians and fami-
lies, and use and charge of personal
devices enhances the patient and fam-
ily experience.”
The use of materials also is contrib-
uting to a more natural, relaxed envi-
ronment.
“We see a lot of materials that pro-
vide a nature feel, such as stone, glass
and garden space,” said Bergholz, citing
the new St. Joseph's Hospital in down-
town Denver as one example of incor-
porating this trend. Mortenson was the
contractor for the project.
Design elements that support clean-
liness, such as resilient flooring, imper-
vious countertops and wall protection,
as well as elements that reduce opera-
tional costs, like LED lighting, also are
incorporated into today’s health care
facilities, said Brennan, adding many
engineered materials have evolved
closely to mimic the look and texture
of wood, stone and textile while being
durable to withstand the rigors of the
health care environment.
Additionally, with square footage
within health care spaces at a pre-
mium, many caregivers are taking a
multifunctional approach to its usage,
requiring the organization of supplies,
workspace and storage as well as
streamlining work processes to pro-
vide maximum square footage in the
patient room, according to Sinclair.
As to the future of design and con-
struction of health care facilities, tech-
nology continues to be a leading factor.
“I see technology starting to drive
design and renovation,” said Brennan.
“Technology is in almost every aspect
of life and having the infrastructure to
support it is critical.”
Also, “There is a continued trend
toward ambulatory care facilities, so
we see a continued opportunity with
MOBs and facilities to support out-
patient care,” said Bergholz. “One of
the other trends we are seeing is that
people are considering ‘paying for out-
come’ rather than paying for service.”
“Everyone wants the best facility that
can help them provide the best health
care and the best health care experi-
ence. Patients want to stay healthy
and get better, and doctors want to
be able to have a facility that helps
them provide that,” he added.
s
Evolution
ingredients needed to have a strong
community. This is truly a spectacular
addition to the region and to Avon,”
said Egger.
Centura Health and Colorado Moun-
tain Medical anchor Buck Creek Medi-
cal Plaza, located at 50 Buck Creek
Road, which also is home to other
specialties such as physical therapy,
dental and allergy. Currently, Buck
Creek Plaza is 95 percent occupied.
“We have taken a long time looking
at the needs of all the communities
that we serve and the significant cost
pressures of health care in mountain
communities,” added Jeff Brickman,
president, Mountains North Operating
Group for Centura Health. “We’re very
excited to be a part of this commu-
nity.We’re excited to provide choice.
We’re very excited to develop health
care in a way that will sustain health
and wellness.”
“There are no truly comparable
medical buildings in Avon or the sur-
rounding communities that will be
able to offer the image, referral base
and patient convenience of Buck
Creek Medical Plaza,” said Varney.
“Properties housing physician ten-
ants are mixed-use, office buildings
or retail projects with poor access and
poor visibility, and some are quite
difficult to navigate.With the lack of
adequate resources to identify qual-
ity physicians, patients often attribute
quality of the location to the quality
of practice. Buck Creek Medical Plaza
will provide the image quality to give
physicians a leg up against the com-
petition.”
NexCore developed and owns the
facility, which was designed by Davis
Partnership Architects. Calcon Con-
structors was the construction man-
ager.
s
News
air from the outside and ventilate
back to the outside directly. An inte-
rior medical gas close requires an
exhaust fan running continuously
24/7.
Have you thought about the differ-
ent kinds of finishes?
Hard surfaces
are easier to keep clean and main-
tain than carpeted floors. However,
if selecting carpet for areas other
than doctor’s office, we recommend
a darker color carpet. Carpet can
reach a point that, in spite of regu-
lar care and maintenance, stain
spots can remain and can be very
tough to eliminate, particularly in
the front waiting areas. Darker-
color floors also are recommended
at the dental operatory treatment
areas for much of the same rea-
sons. Lighter colors require a lot
of maintenance to keep giving it a
like-new look.
How does the available utility
size affect your practice?
An aver-
age four-operatory dental practice
requires about a 200A three-phase
four-wire electrical service that
accommodates little spare capac-
ity for future equipment addition.
Many times this factor is overlooked
and an electrical service upgrade
is required in order to meet the
electrical service demand. Also, a
1-inch water main service size can
be reasonably expected and many
times a larger size is required for
larger offices based on the number
of plumbing fixtures that consume
water. Another rule of thumb for
air-conditioning service size is
approximately 1 ton for every 300 sf
of office area. A northern exposure
may require additional heat to com-
pensate for lack of adequate sun
exposure.
s
Dental
cost of developing a full-scale hospi-
tal. Community hospitals also help
health systems increase their patient
base, differentiate themselves from
the competition, promote their brand
and reduce overcrowding at their
main hospitals. In addition, commu-
nity hospital officials say consumers
benefit in terms of convenient hours,
location and breadth of services,
but also reduced wait times, shorter
length of stay and faster discharge
times compared with traditional hos-
pitals.
Some health systems develop their
community hospitals with in-house
experts while others use the services
of experienced, third-party develop-
ers. Regardless, it’s important that
developers have a thorough under-
standing of the differences (as well
as similarities) between developing a
community hospital and a traditional
inpatient facility.
In developing all hospitals, it’s
essential that health systems choose
the best locations that will meet local
demand for new services, face little
or no competition from other pro-
viders and target their patients and
prospective patients. But Glenn Hoge,
Duke Realty senior vice president of
development, noted there’s another
even more crucial element.
“It’s most important for a commu-
nity hospital to be located on a highly
visible site that is easy to access for
everyone, including patients, visitors,
staff and physicians,” said Hoge. “For
each prospective site, the provider’s
developer-partner or in-house staff
should conduct an extensive analysis
of everything from nearby businesses
and traffic levels to adjacent signage
and intersections and the clarity of
sight lines. This will help them locate
the optimal site for the community
hospital.”
In addition, when expanding into
a new geographic area with a com-
munity hospital, providers and their
developers need to understand that
each locality and state has differ-
ent laws and regulations that cover
everything from environmental
issues and energy use, to how a facil-
ity looks and how it’s built. Colorado,
for example, has more stringent laws
governing community hospitals than
Texas. Colorado laws stipulate that
the facilities must be licensed as hos-
pitals and include full-scale labor and
delivery, including C-section, capabili-
ties.
Finally, community hospitals need
to be carefully designed to ensure
that the smaller space can accom-
modate a wide range of health care
specialties, emergency and nonemer-
gency care, and both primary and
secondary services. Hoge also noted,
“The design of community hospi-
tals should help the provider realize
improved efficiency, cost savings
and collaboration, which, ultimately,
will result in a more positive overall
patient experience.”
The bottom line: Today’s com-
munity hospitals can offer many
benefits to providers and help them
meet a number of PPACA mandates.
Community hospitals also address
consumers’ unmet needs, bring-
ing health care services out into
the community where they live
and work. These new facilities give
them more convenient access to the
highest quality, cost-effective medi-
cal services and right in their own
neighborhoods.
s
Community
The emergency department at the UHS Henderson Hospital, which will open next month.
Design Studio Blue LLC was the interior design subconsulting firm for the project.
Glass and stone also are elements being
incorporated into the design of health care
facilities to promote an improved patient
experience.
