Last week, Meridian CEO, John Pollock, attended Bisnow’s Healthcare West conference in sunny Los Angeles. John, along with his esteemed colleagues, had the opportunity to lead various panel discussions surrounding the future of healthcare facilities and its effect on the patient experience. The turnout was incredible with standing room only! Here, we highlight some of our takeaways from this extremely educational event.
Future of Healthcare Facilities
More than ever, it is important to build the facility’s design around the patient experience. This includes things like:
- A flexible space that allows delivery of different types of care all in the same room.
- Larger, more open waiting rooms that no longer resemble airport type seating. In more moderate climates, even including outdoor space.
- Smaller, more distributed care. Patients seem willing to travel up to an hour for inpatient care, but only want to drive 20 minutes for outpatient care.
- Building research facilities, acute care facilities, and ambulatory care treatment facilities in proximity to one another.
- Focusing on well care in lieu of sick care by adding inviting amenities such as gyms, yoga rooms, childcare, and adult daycare.
There are new challenges the industry is facing and finding solutions has become top priority. Some examples include:
- The labor shortage – some providers have utilized various technology resources as a solution to replace people.
- Climate change and severe weather events need to be considered when shaping future physical spaces.
- There is lots of uncertainty surrounding supply chain disruptions and construction costs. Developers are having to do a “phased approach” such as preordering equipment and getting stakeholders and boards informed earlier.
Overall, the changes currently impacting the industry are on everyone’s mind. We are being forced to tap into our creative reserves in order to face challenges head on and stay focused on our mission to enhance the patient experience. Patients always come first, and the industry remains committed to providing top-notch healthcare facilities that are easily accessible and welcoming. It was an honor to be part of another wonderful event by Bisnow and we’re looking forward to the next one!
If you’re interested in learning more about this conference, visit Healthcare West in Los Angeles (bisnow.com)
Author: John Pollock