Business News <\/p>\n
At too many U.S. hospitals and health systems, facilities planning is approached by the leadership team as a means to an end rather than as a strategic activity essential to achieving the overall mission and vision of the organization.<\/p>\n
\nOn its face, this perspective from the c-suite and boardroom makes sense. Healthcare leaders are in the complex business of providing lifesaving services and treatment, and accordingly, that is where most resources are allocated.<\/p>\n
\nBut failing to take a more strategic approach to facilities planning is a missed opportunity for healthcare leaders who are looking for innovative and sustainable approaches to fulfill their overall mission and long-term vision. Strategic design and construction of medical offices, hospitals and clinics can help organizations realize their goals and aspirations in a cost-effective manner.<\/p>\n
\nAdditionally, as healthcare organizations face greater competition from new entrants and pressure to evolve to changing market conditions, the careful planning and design of facilities by leadership will be vital to success both now and in the decades ahead.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHealthcare is a more retail activity than it was in the past \u2014 that means we have to impress people right when they walk through the door,\u201d said Pete Zuraw, vice president of market strategy and development at Gordian, the leading provider of accurate insights, robust technology, and expert services for all phases of the building lifecycle, including consultative, adaptable and software-powered capital planning tools.<\/a><\/p>\n \nRecognizing the importance of facilities planning to a healthcare organization\u2019s mission and long-term vision \u2014 and thus elevating its importance in the c-suite and the boardroom \u2014 can also help with current challenges the industry is facing. Healthcare organizations are dealing with immense financial and labor difficulties. A strategic focus on facilities planning by the c-suite and board can counter some of those pressures, leading to cost savings, improved sustainability, better employee and patient experience, and greater efficiency.<\/p>\n Best practices to elevate facilities planning<\/strong><\/p>\n \nAfter a few years of slow down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, construction projects are in full swing at healthcare organizations across the country. And as more care moves from acute care hospitals to lower-acuity and home settings, healthcare organizations are being forced to evaluate how their buildings are being used and ways to transform them for the future.<\/p>\n \n\u201cThe smart places are taking the opportunity to really rethink where they want to go, as it becomes harder and harder to ensure compatibility between new organizational aspirations and the current physical portfolio,\u201d Zuraw said. This is where an integrated facilities plan across the enterprise can ensure projects support the organization\u2019s overall mission and vision.<\/p>\n \nAn important way to achieve this integrated plan is to include a leader of the facilities planning team when board members and the c-suite are discussing projects for existing and new facilities. Facilities planners are experts on the current capabilities and limitations of built structures. Additionally, they have invaluable insight into the feasibility of new construction projects.<\/p>\n \n\u201cLeadership should not be dreaming up a new vision and then asking someone to realize it,\u201d Zuraw said, adding that a project can easily become delayed or be incredibly expensive when facility planners aren\u2019t involved from the onset. In order to have the facility planners\u2019 voice at the table, boardrooms and c-suites must value their role and consider them an important part of the leadership team.<\/p>\n \n\u201cMost institutions do not have an executive with facility expertise on the team. Those that do are more informed when funding capital renewal and deferred maintenance backlogs,\u201d said Mark Kenneday, director of business development for healthcare at Gordian.<\/p>\n Embrace data and flexibility<\/strong><\/p>\n \nPlanning discussions should be backed up by data. While feedback from staff and patients can help glean what improvements to make, data is a neutral source of information that can be used to understand true capacity and demand.<\/p>\n \nData to leverage for facility planning includes costs of operation (people, materials, utilities), deferred capital renewal needs, and even the utilization of systems in service of operational demands. It should also include discharge data, patient length of stay and even data from the electronic health record. It\u2019s the integrated analysis of building system data with hospital performance measures that allows for a true understanding of the success of the facilities in use.<\/p>\n \n\u201cStrategic use of HIPAA-scrubbed electronic health data assures the institution is growing in concert with its patient intake and care delivery volumes,\u201d Kenneday said.<\/p>\n \nToo often, healthcare leaders are not leveraging this integrated understanding of the data, resulting in the development of buildings that cannot meet current and future goals.<\/p>\n \n\u201cFailing to look at the information that’s available about the building can impede leaders from making really difficult but important decisions that won’t waste more money and resources in the end,\u201d Zuraw added.<\/p>\n \nA helpful approach to facilities planning involves working in phases. Facility projects can cost millions \u2014 sometimes even billions \u2014 of dollars. When plans are made that require an immense amount of investment all at once to be realized, there is a risk the plans are outdated by the time they are completed.<\/p>\n \n\u201cWorking in phases is a way for organizations to understand whether or not a design is still relevant or needs to be tweaked before it’s fully implemented,\u201d Zuraw said.<\/p>\n \nIf the pandemic showed the healthcare sector anything, it was the benefit of planning with flexibility in mind. Hospitals rose to the challenge, converting intensive care and med-surg units to spaces equipped to care for COVID-19 patients. Emergency rooms were adapted also, with hospitals creating separate entrances and external waiting rooms for patients with symptoms.<\/p>\n \nThe lesson learned is that planning spaces that can easily be converted in the face of a public health emergency is essential.<\/p>\n \n\u201cFlexibility is crucially important to make sure you\u2019re able to respond as quickly as possible to the remarkably dynamic evolution of medical practice,\u201d Zuraw said.<\/p>\n How a trusted partner can help you execute your mission-driven facilities planning<\/strong><\/p>\n \nAs hospitals and health systems gain a greater appreciation of how facility planning can help fulfill their organization\u2019s mission, it is important that leadership has the support of an established partner on this journey.<\/p>\n \nGordian works alongside healthcare organizations to create relevant and strategic facility planning programs, providing tools and support for facility managers and financial leaders to achieve leadership buy-in. The company also helps organizations gather and evaluate data sources pertinent to their facility planning goals.<\/p>\n \n\u201cAcross our business, we are interested in helping people make the best possible decisions for their future \u2013 and where possible, helping them use their facilities resources most effectively to deliver on those decisions,\u201d Zuraw said. Learn more about Gordian and the services we provide by visiting our website.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n