W H I T E P A P E R | SEPTEMBER 2013
The Imperative for Change It’s not business as usual - a new platform is being built for healthcare, as the system resets itself for a new delivery model. Not since the Hill Burton era, have government actions impacted the healthcare built environment as they do today. On January 1, 2014 millions of Americans who have relied on emergency rooms and free clinics for primary and urgent care will now be required, by way of the Affordable Care Act, to enroll in some type of basic insurance coverage. Patients are not coming just for care, but rather to be placed in a system that is expected to manage their health and keep them well. There is a sense of urgency to address this issue from both an operational and built environment standpoint. We can no longer think of healthcare systems as a series of silo services ranging from hospitals to clinics and outpatient centers. With tremendous pressure on healthcare organizations to develop systems of care inclusive of health and wellness programs, our challenge is to create a framework for the supporting facility infrastructure which is adaptable, responsive and flexible to the ongoing changes of the healthcare environment. The solutions to this swell of patients are not simple and we cannot solve this problem by simply building without a framework or strategy. The intent of this paper is to convey the concepts behind the various models and typologies of ambulatory care. The future will demand a combination of models that offer an approach to facility planning that evolves and adapts to the changing marketplace. An operational case study is also included in this white paper to express tactics for maximizing the utilization of ambulatory spaces. Healthcare services and the facilities they are offered in are, by necessity, changing. The new model focuses on more than just providing medical office buildings and clinic space in convenient locations. Healthcare organizations need to focus on the wellness and management of a patient’s health throughout the continuum of care.
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