Clinics are primarily used as outpatient hubs for non-invasive procedures, check-ups, and, more often now, specialized healthcare issues. The healthcare industry has been expanding through the presence of clinics, which are usually paired with higher convenience, alongside faster-paced and personalized care when compared to traditional hospital models. Building clinics has different considerations than other healthcare facilities, with their main objectives centered on cutting costs, increasing efficiency, and enabling access to a larger market. Healthcare construction companies, Simone Health, has been looking at how clinics are being built for the needs of modern patients, so they’ve compiled a list of the trends that keep popping up over and over. Read below to see what’s trending for today’s clinics.
Patient-centric approach: The modern healthcare space is centered around the patient. This is a significant shift born from a higher focus on patient satisfaction and the patient experience. The patient-centric approach ensures that healthcare providers accommodate patients. Instead of a clinic holding one limited provider, more often we’re seeing outpatient clinics incorporate multidisciplinary teams comprised of a variety of specialists to serve patients with a variety of health concerns. This approach focuses on the patient’s needs, not those of the provider.
Improved consulting rooms: While the consulting room is not often a star player in the clinic world, more often they’re becoming a viable replacement to examination rooms when the examination space is unneeded. This comes from providers recognizing that many clinic visits do not require a full exam, and thus can take place in a consultation room rather than taking up an entire exam room. This switch from exam rooms to consultation rooms increases patient engagement during visits by creating more of a conversation and less of an examination feel, when needed.
Telehealth & group examination rooms: Two additional upgrades happening to clinics everywhere are the incorporation of group exam rooms and telehealth capabilities. Those with chronic conditions like diabetes or cardiac issues can meet together in group exam rooms to discuss their conditions with doctor’s present. This will allow them to be educated regarding their conditions and perhaps find a support group in other patients. Telehealth, on the other hand, is a valuable way to increase patient volume at a clinic, where healthcare providers can utilize AV and healthcare technology to keep track of patient conditions remotely and consult with patients who may travel far for healthcare.
Collaboration workspaces: Though the collaborative space is a mainstay in any business environment, they have not often been included in the healthcare world. However, this is changing, as more and more clinics incorporate collaborative spaces for healthcare providers to discuss patient health concerns and office coordination in a space away from patient ears. These collaborative spaces can lead to better patient service paired with higher job satisfaction from staff members, especially in a multidisciplinary environment.
“Trends in recent clinic construction are centered around enhancing the patient experience and growing a clinic reach, two goals that embrace the demands of the modern healthcare system. Look into ways to incorporate these trends into your clinic or next clinic development today,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.