Today hospital executives can say that their facilities are unlike their predecessors ten years ago, but in another ten years from now health facilities will be even more sophisticated and advanced than the most modern centers today. Being able to see ahead of the curve to accommodate future situations is key for any health facility to stay successful and thrive as market conditions change, patient preferences switch, and amenities not thought related to hospitals are suddenly in high demand.
There are a plethora of health facility trends, but below are the ones I have been seeing recently. Among them include: enhancing the hospital experience with new amenities and the size and sophistication of patient rooms.
2 Health Facility Trends
One Stop Shopping…. And Treatment:
Making a hospital not seem like a hospital is a difficult task, but a requirement that hospital executives felt was needed at the University Medical Center in Groningen (UMCG), Netherlands. According to Healthcare Design Magazine, the planners of the UMCG strived to create a non medical atmosphere, similar to a mall or retail environment upon patients entering the medical pavilion. This allows patients to feel more comfortable and take them out of the mindset that a hospital is a sterile environment.
While complete tertiary services are provided such as cancer, emergency, surgery and advanced imagery, patients also perform customary activities there as well such as grocery shopping, library reading, and grabbing coffee. As one of the most comprehensive and innovative hospitals in the region, UMCG is equipped to provide all forms of treatment and amenities to the surrounding community making it feel less like a treatment center and more like a convenience store.
Providing Patient Comforts:
Though most hospitals cannot spend as much money on non-medical items like UMCH has, upgrading patient rooms to single rooms and providing at-home comforts is something that more hospitals are incorporating into their strategy. According to an ASHE 2011 Construction Survey 38% of hospitals are instituting patient rooms that included wireless technologies and individual room temperature control. This is among the list of features some hospitals are providing patients such as game consoles, larger beds and room space, and utilizing natural light. Natural light is not only preferred to fluorescent for aesthetic reasons, but it also lowers electricity costs and while anecdotal, patients’ ailments seem to decline with natural light. This in turn reduces extended hospital stays and overall costs.
While these are just two of many medical real estate trends, they are ones that hospital executives deemed worth implementing to make patients and the community feel more at ease.
James Ellis, CEO, Health Care Realty Development Company, is a nationally recognized successful real estate investor and developer of medical office properties with a comprehensive knowledge of sophisticated real estate transactions, cost effective designs, and efficient property management.
Aaron Razavi is Associate Marketing Director at Health Care Realty Development.
Visit their blog at http://www.hcrealty.com/medicalrealestatedevelopment/
