Simone Healthcare Development, an ambulatory care facility development company devoted to prioritizing the need to develop, build, and operate to the highest standard of excellence, lists three healthcare construction trends you are going to want to keep a close eye on.

1. Increased Levels of Patient Access. The construction of smaller healthcare centers such as walk-in clinics and urgent care facilities will promote patient accessibility as well as aim for a more personalized approach to healthcare. Patient access will shift to become one of the prime concerns of healthcare facilities, and the construction industry can be seen embracing this shift in ideals through the encouraged fabrication of small-scale facilities.
2. Modular Construction. Modular construction consists of a unique design strategy that builds prefabricated structures off-site only then to be later transported and assembled on-site. The method uses factory-like manufacturing techniques to make repeated sections of a building that can be made and delivered in half the normal construction time. Due to this reduced amount of build time, modular construction is extremely cost-effective and cuts major corners in labor costs.
3. Scalable, Accessible Healthcare Facilities. The increasing popularity of more acute healthcare facilities such as micro-hospitals and mixed-use medical facilities will become more and more apparent this upcoming year. Small-scale centers provide care that is extremely convenient while also offering quick and local treatment options for individuals. Scratch the extended wait at a major hospital since micro-hospitals and mixed-use medical facilities offer full hospital emergency services and are also located in accessible, favorable locations.

“Down-sizing construction doesn’t down-size the quality of care. Being an experienced full-service medical real estate company, Simone Health, is able to use their experience developing major healthcare facilities to discuss how emerging trends are aiming to increase patient access, reduce project timelines, and focus on a more personal approach to healthcare,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.

Hospitals usually conjure images of bright white walls, cold tile floors, and unforgiving fluorescent lights. But what if they brought up feelings of calm instead of anxiety, relief instead of discomfort? The hospital layout is evolving, and modern hospitals are adopting more patient centered design by incorporating natural lighting, greenery, outdoor spaces, and more comforting architecture that can transform the traditional healthcare space. One of the increasingly popular hospital additions is a rooftop garden, where staff, visitors, and patients alike can go to absorb some sun, gaze at pretty plants, and take a slow walk. Healthcare architecture firm Simone Health explains why installing a rooftop garden can help hospitals improve the overall healthcare experience.

1. Relieves stress for both patients and staff: The greatest benefit that comes with a rooftop garden is providing a space where patients and staff can catch a breath of fresh air. Being sealed indoors all day can be damaging for one’s mental health, especially in a high-stress environment like a hospital. A rooftop garden provides an open, lush-green area perfect for de-stressing. Natural landscapes have been shown to reinvigorate and relax those that see them, allowing anxious visitors and stressed doctors to take in an aesthetically pleasing view and get some much-needed comfort from a hard day.
2. Improves patient care: Many hospital patients have no choice but to stay indoors all day for health reasons and lack of safe outdoor spaces for their medical needs. Fitting a hospital rooftop garden with sufficient power lines and closed-off conditions allows these patients to take a stroll outside, attended or unattended, embracing the sun, the air, and the sweeping views. Giving patients locked to machines the ability to travel outdoors can significantly improve morale and mental state, both of which hospital patients, especially frequent or permanent ones, struggle with.
3. Increases productivity: A rooftop garden can increase the productivity of your hospital staff by giving them a place to recoup and refresh during their long shifts. After hours of being inside and tending to patients and visitors, staff members often feel like their energy is lagging. This can be combated with some fresh air and sunlight, as well as a quick walk through the garden. Proven to have an energizing effect, giving staff their own space outdoors, away from patients and their visitors, can give a few small moments of peace before they feel ready to get back to work.

“Rooftop gardens have the power to increase your hospital’s overall patient experience, affecting everyone from the patients to the staff to provide a better healthcare atmosphere. Find out how you can incorporate a rooftop garden in your hospital development today,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.

The waiting room is an essential part of the healthcare facility experience. It’s the first space that patients and visitors interact with, making it one of the most important areas in any healthcare facility. However, many waiting rooms are plagued by uncomfortable chairs, bland paints, and too many people. These can all give patients the wrong impression of your ambulatory healthcare facility, no matter how good your healthcare performance is. So, the key to upgrading your patient experience is upgrading your patient waiting room. You’d be surprised what kinds of changes can have the biggest impact on your patient experience. Ambulatory care facility development firm, Simone Health, discusses three ways to transform your waiting room below.

1. Self-Check in Kiosks: Self-serve kiosks have become staple pieces inside airports, banks, and entertainment venues. Their convenience is undeniable, and they add speed and a feeling of modernity to any space they occupy. The healthcare industry has recently been opening up to self-check in kiosks, using them to make the patient registration process faster, alongside digital consent forms, payments, and foreign language translations. These kiosks will not only bring the waiting times down, but offer improved convenience and additional privacy for patients, improving patient satisfaction. In addition, self-service kiosks also save hundreds of sheets of paper, reducing your facility’s carbon footprint.
2. Make it Child Friendly: Waiting room areas can be a stressful, anxious space, for adults and children alike. However, any scared or anxious child will be a lot more noticeable in a waiting room filled with adults and intimidating fixtures. Ease anxious children by fitting your waiting room space with a children’s play area, giving them a familiar, fun space to chill-out and feel more comfortable in. Children’s play areas have been shown to reduce waiting room anxiety, in addition to giving the parents a place to supervise their kids while they fill out forms or take care of additional healthcare information.
3. Open Space Concept: Many healthcare facilities struggle with their floor plans. Embrace an open-space concept to not only make the space feel larger, but to allow patients to see the front desk the minute they walk-in. Not only will patient satisfaction improve, but also staff production rates since being in a more airy, well-lit space avoids feelings of fatigue. Knock down those walls and feel how your space changes!

“There are a lot of different ways to improve your healthcare facility’s waiting room area. Explore other options and find what transformative concepts fit the best for your space and patient needs,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.

Aimed to empower healthcare providers achieve world-class outcomes in a rapidly changing healthcare environment, healthcare real estate development firm, Simone Health, uses their knowledge share how cloud computing helps internal hospital communications.

Cloud computing uses a network of remote servers through the internet to store, manage and process data. As opposed to the previously used method of storing data and information on a local server, this approach for internal hospital communication provides more flexibility, security, and streamline connection.

• Flexibility. Cloud computing provides full access to vital information anywhere and anytime. The flexibility of instant access, as well as an unlimited capacity for data allows for healthcare providers to be able to accurately address patient needs in a shorter amount of time.
• Security. Security concerns are without a doubt raised when it comes to the storage of confidential patient information within a healthcare facility. Where hospitals choose to store their information is essential to keeping important patient details safe and secure from outside sources. Cloud computing is a HIPAA business associate and has advanced security measures put in place to monitor and maintain the confidentiality of healthcare data. Designed to protect any health information or medical records healthcare providers choose to store within the cloud, cloud computing provides a better level of security than ever before.
• Streamline Collaboration. Streamlining collaboration is another benefit of utilizing cloud computing. By using cloud software, healthcare professionals can now edit, collaborate, and comment on the same documents, at the same time regardless of location. This advanced level of collaboration cuts out any confusion between doctors and nurses in order to achieve a seamless healthcare experience from start to finish.

“Cloud computing provides numerous tools to improve internal communications within healthcare facilities. Increased security measures and extreme flexibility for holding and sharing information, as well as more advanced ways for healthcare teams to communicate will undoubtedly reshape the healthcare industry for years to come,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.

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.

Upgrading healthcare facilities has many benefits for patients and staff alike, but the process to the end result always involves some kind of construction. A large amount of healthcare facilities in the midst of upgrades stay open, as construction is usually confined to one area of the building. However, accommodations for patients must be made during any kind of construction in order to ensure their safety and health are prioritized. Mixed-use development company, Simone Health, discusses how to keep patients safe during healthcare construction.

• Determine the impact and risks associated with the construction: It’s important to analyze the scope of your construction project so your development company can make the right adjustments to the space for patients and staff to feel comfortable, even while construction occurs. Assess the impact of the obstruction on your healthcare space and plan effective ways to have patients bypass the construction area as much as possible. Determine the risks that could be brought in by the type of construction going on, whether it’s physical improvements, technological upgrades, or aesthetic adjustments. Barriers must be made to avoid construction dust and noise from spilling out too much into a patient heavy area.
• Create a way to keep the air clean to prevent patient infection: Take precautions to make sure the air in your patient areas is completely filtered of any construction dust or debris because their health is your number one priority, even while construction is going on. Improved air filters, sturdy barriers separating patients and visitors from construction areas, and protocol inside the facility regarding construction waste disposal and noise pollution are all factors to consider in the health and safety of your patients and staff.
• Have a communication plan: If you are planning a construction project in the future, it is essential to alert all patients and visitors about the planned improvements and the construction areas. Assure patients and visitors that your healthcare facility will be open during this time, but their health and safety remain your number one priority. Plan out how you will communicate changes to your patients and staff members, whether it’s through email, posted notices far in advance, or digital signage.
• Use easily decontaminated surfaces: Maintaining a clean, healthy environment for everyone in the facility is a very important piece that goes into keeping patients safe. Ensuring to utilize easily decontaminated surfaces inside of your healthcare space will make the lives easier for those cleaning up after the construction, as inevitably, some fine dust or debris may make its way out. Ensure every surface is swiftly and thoroughly decontaminated every few hours to maintain the cleanliness of the facility for patients.

“Upgrading your healthcare facility is an exciting time and looking forward to the end result will make all of the hassle in between worthwhile for both patients and staff. So long as your facility takes the proper precautions during construction, protecting the well-being of your patients first and foremost, patients will be understanding as the construction passes by,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.

Engaging patients in their own healthcare has shown to be immensely beneficial to their overall healthcare experience. Having patients play an active role in their medical needs gives them more urgency in their care, promoting feelings of empowerment when it comes to making healthy decisions, and reaching out to healthcare practitioners with questions and concerns. Patient engagement is a valuable tool for any medical practice but increasing your facility’s patient engagement rate can be a small challenge for some firms to overcome. Medical building construction company, Simone Health, shares tips for increasing patient engagement rates in healthcare facilities.

• Have Information Resources that Patients Can Access: Be sure to provide essential healthcare information to patients regarding some healthcare topics of interests, such as new medication or therapies on the market. These informational resources can promote not only what’s going on in the healthcare world, but also what kinds of new options are going to become available to your facility’s patients in the future. These informational resources should be highly accurate and easily accessible in order for them to grab patient’s attention and keep them engaged.
• Be Active on Social Media: Social media is a promotional powerhouse, providing an avenue of direct interaction between patients and their healthcare providers. Launching a social media initiative to connect patients with others who have same conditions can help empower those feeling isolated and encourage their interactions with arenas offering medical help. Encouraging those with chronic pain and conditions to share their stories and experiences can give patients an outlet to express their difficulties and offer some understanding to those who may not know about the condition or have just begun struggling with chronic pain.
• Use Online Portals: Online portals can be a valuable tool for patients and healthcare providers alike, as they can contain essential medical information accessible through a simple portal login. These online portals can contain as much or as little data as patients want, but the more data provided to healthcare facilities, the better quality care they can give to patients. Providers have the ability to track patient progress, while patients have a highly accessible online outlet to keep track of their medical history, lab test results, and treatment progress.
• Use Reminders for Appointments: Many patients have a lot going on in their lives on a day-to-day basis and remembering various doctors’ appointments in between their regular activities can sometimes be a struggle. Utilizing an appointment reminder system with patients can help them remember their arrangements, lowering the risk of no-shows, and make them more likely to schedule a follow-up appointment. Presenting reminders to patients through various channels, such as email or text options, makes the medical process feel less daunting and more casual for patients and healthcare professionals alike.

“Encouraging patient engagement can be done in various different ways, but these tips above are a great start. Do some research about the patients your medical facility services in order to tailor your engagement efforts towards the right demographics,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.

Resilient design strategy is based off of mitigating disasters and designing for functionality during hazards. However, resilient design isn’t just about hazards and disasters, but how the design holds up and functions in the long-term. With a shifting focus from caring for the ill to providing wider community wellness benefits, the patient experience has become a foundational factor in healthcare facility design, and resilient design strategies supply the perfect base for providing exceptional patient experiences. Hospital construction company, Simone Health, discusses the benefits of resilient design for medical facilities. Check out some of them below.

• Improved productivity: Part of resilient design focuses on incorporating natural light and green spaces, such as built in gardens, paths lined with trees, and large windows. Natural lighting and outdoor spaces have been proven time and time again to boost people’s moods, morale, and energy. All of these can impact the way your healthcare staff is functioning on a day-to-day basis. If they’re more energized and have natural spaces to recoup and regenerate themselves, you’ll see their productivity go up, improving your overall patient experience.
• Speeds up patient recovery: Many hospital patients have no choice but to spend their days indoors, confined to a room. Fitting a hospital with green spaces gives patients in recovery exposure to sunlight, fresh air, and greenery. Exposure to nature decreases patient recovery time, with those who have a view of natural settings or exposure to them citing a lower need for pain medication and faster recovery times.
• Lower spending on operations: Resilient design strategy highlights economic factors as well, seeking to lower operating costs through sustainable features. Designing a hospital equipped with energy-saving construction, such as day lighting and green roofs, can lower your hospital’s utility consumption, followed by lower utility expenses. This lowered spending on operations gives your hospital more money to delegate to enhancing the patient experience.
• Increase staff retention rate: When a hospital is equipped with spaces for staff to take a breather from the stressful healthcare environment, they’re more likely to feel satisfied with their job and stick around. Increasing your staff retention rate comes with a host of other benefits, such as lower training costs and an improved patient experience from knowledgeable staff members. Giving staff time to relax and reenergize themselves is valuable not only for them, but for the entire healthcare system.

“Using resilient design strategy in medical facilities can do so much for your staff and patients alike. Take advantage of the benefits resilient design can bring when developing or upgrading your next medical facility,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.