Insights & Solutions

It’s the little things that matter when it comes to the message you are sending your patients and their families. In other words, the better your waiting rooms and public spaces look, the louder the message you’ll send to your audience that you care about them, their comfort, and their safety.

Do you involve your physicians and nurses in your design and renovation efforts? If not, you could be missing out on a valuable resource to help you better meet the provisions of healthcare reform, which require high quality and efficient care. Better yet, your staff is already on your payroll—and they know your operations better than anyone else!

The passage of healthcare reform has increased the demand for healthcare services in communities all across the country. For many hospitals, this translates into the need for more beds and bigger facilities. But with the current emphasis on providing high quality care in a cost effective setting, the truth is that in today’s challenging marketplace, bigger isn’t necessarily better.

The value of taking a patient-centered approach to providing healthcare seems obvious. After all, the patient is the one who ultimately reaps the benefits of good health, so shouldn’t he or she also have the chance to take an active role in his treatment process, guiding his own outcomes? That’s the premise of a Patient-Centered Medical Home. Yet for healthcare organizations that provide a safety need for low-income and high risk populations, getting some of the poorest and sickest patients involved in their own care can be quite challenging.

How far do you go to involve your patients as a valued part of your organization? The answer may become increasingly important over the next few years. In the current healthcare climate, accrediting bodies and insurers are expecting providers to step up their efforts to design their care models in such a way as to encourage patients to take an active role in their own medical care.

Have you earned the designation of a Patient-Centered Medical Home (or PCMH) yet? If not, now is a good time to explore this up-and-coming model of excellence, which can be of benefit to both your patients and your organization, especially when you support the concept with your facility design so it all comes together seamlessly.