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Page 14 — Health Care Properties Quarterly — January 2018
Construction
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T echnology made large
populations possible; large
populations now make
technology indispensable.”
- Joseph Krutch
Although writer Krutch passed
away in 1970, long before the
modern inventions of today, he
clearly saw the potential that tech-
nology would bring to our lives.
In recent Health Care Properties
Quarterly articles, we highlighted
parking conveniences and build-
ing smaller, stand-alone facilities
as ways health care facilities are
enhancing patient experiences,
while also reducing overhead costs
and increasing operating efficien-
cies. Another key area enhancing
patient experiences is technology
integration.
One example of technology that
is making an impact on the patient
experience is the integration of
self-service kiosks in hospitals
and medical facilities. Self-service
kiosk technology works beautifully
in airports, banks, supermarkets,
fast-food restaurants, movie rental
facilities and the list goes on. Medi-
cal facilities seem the next logical
application for this convenient,
user-driven technology.
Kroger supermarkets’ The Little
Clinic continues to expand con-
venience and accessibility for its
patients with “We’ll Hold Your
Spot,” an online tool that allows
patients to reserve a place in line
before they get to a clinic. Once
patients arrive at the clinic, they
use a self-service kiosk to check
themselves in for care.
The Little Clinic and numerous
other medical
facilities regularly
embrace technol-
ogy for patient
check-in and to
distribute gen-
eral information.
Patients check-in
for an appoint-
ment on their
own and complete
registration forms.
Through queue-
ing software and
digital monitors,
emergency room
patients gain an
estimated wait time for a doctor to
visit them. Through informational
kiosks in exam rooms, patients
learn prevention and potential
treatment for medical diagnoses.
Kiosks also are used for vetting
vendors before they receive access
to the back office.
Inside these health care facilities,
cutting-edge technology is used
for maximum patient convenience.
For example, facilities are bring-
ing imaging technology into the
patient rooms instead of moving
patients to a centralized imaging
location.
What’s Driving the new Technology
for Health Care Organizations?
Enhancing patient experiences,
reducing administration costs and
increasing operational efficien-
cies are driving new technology for
health care organizations. These
three drivers represent the future
for hospital construction.
Health Facilities Management’s
2016 Hospital Construction Survey,
conducted in cooperation with
the American Society for Health-
care Engineering, surveyed nearly
250 U.S. hospitals regarding their
construction (renovation and new
build) objectives. Overwhelmingly,
patient convenience was the pri-
mary objective and workflow effi-
ciency was the key to improving
the patient experience.
Specifically, long registration
times, breakdowns in staff commu-
nication and delays in patient care
were top barriers to efficiency. To
combat these issues, hospitals are
turning to kiosk services, as well as
flexible, adaptable patient rooms
and furniture. Modular designs
offer freedom for facilities to adapt
spaces for future needs.
Hospitals also rely on new tech-
nology to improve communication
and decrease interruptions, includ-
ing zoned rooms and departments
for paging efficiencies.
“The advance of technology is
based on making it fit in so you
don’t really even notice it, so it’s
part of everyday life,” as Bill Gates
once said.
Contractors play a pivotal role in
integrating cutting-edge technology
into their health care clients’ proj-
ects. At the core, contractors need
to understand their clients’ current
and future needs for a facility, part-
ner with excellent technology sub-
contractors and focus on project
coordination.
Contractors need to integrate
the technology into the interior
design of the facility so the end
result is a relaxed environment
where patients have ample access
to comfortably check themselves in
and get needed medical informa-
tion. Contractors also must work
closely with specialty contractors
to deliver homelike patient rooms
with built-in wired and wireless
technology infrastructures, such as
electronic beds, bar-coding equip-
ment, HVAC and lighting controls.
Technology and mobility is built
into the wall systems and mount-
ing apparatus with the goal of
process efficiency that leads to
enhanced patient experiences and
reduced operational costs.
For renovations, many health
care facilities remain operational
during construction, representing
additional challenges. Construction
vibration often impacts technology
used in operating rooms, imaging
rooms and lab operations. Contrac-
tors should perform appropriate
vibration testing prior to construc-
tion and also coordinate work so
the project won’t interrupt the cli-
ent’s normal business operations.
Simply put, contractors must
be knowledgeable about current
and upcoming technology needs
for hospitals. We must know our
health care clients’ objectives,
secure appropriate partnerships
with specialty subcontractors, coor-
dinate projects expertly and serve
as trusted advisers for clients.
When health care clients inte-
grate indispensable technology into
patient areas so it fits in and they
don’t even notice it, contractors
have done their jobs well. ▲
Brian Mulnix
Business
development,
Catamount
Constructors Inc.,
Denver
“