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March 4-March 17, 2015 — COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL — Page 7B
A ddressing technology
and how it will
affect the future
of health care facilities
is critical to all business
practices involving patient
care, security, wayfinding, the
visitor experience, internal
communications, and
telehealth or mobile-health
services. Social trends suggest
that 75 percent of all adults
use the Internet to research
medical or health-related
topics online, and over 43
percent of those adults will use
mobile devices to access that
information. As the Affordable
Care Act is fully implemented,
those who run health care
systems are discussing new ways
to provide patients with more
control of their care through
the convenience of technology,
which in turn has architects and
contractors adapting to new
variables.
Technology is driving a new
delivery model of patient care
focused on increasing patient
interaction and monitoring
with their physician, nurses
and family. Many major health
care systems are on the verge
of creating virtual communities
to assist patients through the
treatment process and reduce
errors in care. Traditional
hospitals, intermediate care
facilities and clinic/outpatient
facilities will need to adapt to
the rapidly changing future.
Specific examples of trends
driven by technology include:
• Reliability of connectivity to
smart devices to deliver point-
of-care solutions;
• Expanded mobile and cable
networks for telehealth services;
• Private patient rooms
offering patient-control
environments and guest wireless
services;
• In-room telecommunication
tools with 24-hour connectivity
with family;
• Advanced security and
tracking systems for on-site
pharmaceutical, equipment and
lab spaces;
• Larger operating rooms
for increased technology and
robotic equipment;
• Designated telehealth
service areas for doctors and
physicians; and
• Expanded enterprise data
centers.
Paul Rue, associate principal
at RTA Architects, a firm that
specializes in the health care
market, is in the center of the
technology discussion with
many of his clients.
“When the desire is to give
patients or visitors the ability to
control the room temperature,
window shades and lighting,
we’re challenged to find
compatible systems that provide
a fully integrated solution,” he
said. “All the systems have some
limitations so our clients have
to make decisions about what’s
most important for patients’
experience during care.”
New technologies are not
limited only to low-voltage
systems, but also include
material selections for built-
in components featuring
antimicrobial and noise
reduction surfaces.
“Copper is considered an
antimicrobial material for
heavily trafficked areas for items
such as door hardware,” Rue
said. “However there is a cost
consideration. We have yet to
see these advancements take
hold in the market.”
To further enhance patient
satisfaction, Rue suggests that
clients evaluate their acoustical
options for ceiling tiles, wall
coverings and flooring systems
to reduce noise.
Newer health care facilities
have leapfrogged their dated
counterparts with patient care
environments equipped with
the latest technologies and
adaptive spaces. Complex
solutions often are required for
aging buildings to respond to
these trends.
For older hospitals to make
the transformative investment
needed within their facilities,
Rue said they should look for
opportunities to free space
that was formerly used for
recordkeeping and to consider
shared equipment spaces.
“We’re discovering that bigger
isn’t always better when it
comes to new OR spaces,” Rue
said.
“Technology is changing the
environment so fast that it is
hard to stay on top of it,” he
said. “Information technology
has become equally important
to any other system we discuss
with our clients because today it
is so closely tied to the patient
experience.”
Guiding customers through
a thoughtful process on how
to consolidate their spaces to
improve workflow will meet
patient satisfaction outcomes.
“Health care customers
want speed to market and
better management of low-
voltage technology,” said Bob
Latas, JE Dunn Construction
health care executive. “We’ve
instituted processes to ease
the management burden and
eliminate the duplication in
the traditional low-voltage
procurement strategy.”
Our health care division has
touched over $850 million in
health care projects within
Colorado over the past 15 years.
The team has experienced
changes in the amount of
cabling, data center space and
personnel associated with smart
hospitals. Latas predicts that
as health care building systems
become more intelligent, health
care owners will demand that
their contractors equip their
teams for intensive collaborative
processes that demand greater
preconstruction involvement.
“All our clients are looking
for efficiencies within their
operations so they can focus
on point-of-care services,” Latas
said.
Recent studies forecast a
major shortfall in medical staff
needed to meet care demands,
forcing administrators to look
Diane Miller
Vice president, marketing,
JE Dunn Construction, Denver