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View past articles, press releases and e-mail newsletters here.
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DESIGN FOR HEALING ENVIRONMENTS
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Choosing Interior Surfaces that are Appealing and Hygienic |
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Today, patients, families, physicians and staff expect quality care to be rendered in a safe, clean and inviting environment. Therefore, modern health care facilities must transform their sterile, unappealing environment into a place that enhances their marketing and recruitment efforts.
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Nurses’ Stations Spanning Throughout Hospitals |
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The concept of the hospital-based nurses’ station is dramatically changing. The perceptions that previously defined how nurses’ stations were arranged have been modified by the transition to an electronic medical record and research of the care unit environment as it affects patients and staff.
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OBESITY AND BARIATRICS
OPERATIONAL TRENDS + HIPAA
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Maximizing Safety for Healthcare Staff |
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Patient safety was a major design consideration when South Jersey Healthcare began planning its new facility back in the late 1990s. But since nurses are important to preventing patient accidents and medical errors, the company also emphasized staff efficiency and safety.
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Feeling the Impact: Key Operational Trends in Healthcare |
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Healthcare reform usually focuses on high level policy issues like mandated employer coverage, tax credit subsidies, Medicare and Medicaid, health saving accounts, quality incentives, and universal vouchers. In reality, observing bottom-up “operational” adjustments might offer greater insight than watching for signs in top-down machinations.
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HEALTHCARE CONSTRUCTION
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Streamlined Process Allows for Fast Hospital Opening in Boom Town |
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Within the last five years, the population of Gilbert, Ariz., has been exploding. Due to its appealing climate, setting and economy, the Phoenix suburb has expanded at an average rate of more than 1,000 new residents per month. In fact, Gilbert is one of the nation's fastest-growing cities, with a population that has tripled to more than 178,000 over the past 10 years.
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It’s All About Teamwork |
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FacilityCare recently held a roundtable discussion on infection control. Susan Helmer, editor, asked three industry experts to comment on those infection control issues that pose the biggest threat to patient safety, findings from recent research studies and the implementation of risk assessment during construction.
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All Together Now/Facility of the Month |
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Elevated costs are stimulating innovation in the health care construction industry. Increasingly, the motivation to maximize resources, reduce waste and enhance overall results causes groups and departments to form alliances in ways that might not have been deemed feasible a few years ago.
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Market Predictions |
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For a number of years, the health care construction industry has experienced a boom. Local factors, international influences and other forces are working together to drive the replacement of many of the 1950s-era facilities still operating around the country.
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Inside Information: Developing an effective design program |
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New construction and renovation projects are among the most significant investments a hospital can make. Successful project completion means satisfying numerous stakeholders such as physicians, nurses, clinical support staff, administrators, patients and their families and the community at large...
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ARCHIVED ARTICLES
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Size Does Matter in the Healthcare Arena |
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Pushed by rapidly changing technology and consumer demands, hospitals nationwide are giving careful consideration to how their facilities accommodate patients.
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Functional Healing Spaces |
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The healthcare industry is full of challenges. Healthcare providers are tasked with meeting numerous patient requirements, while also satisfying the needs of staff.
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Envelopes Protect Healthcare Facilities Against Moisture |
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A building’s skin or “envelope” not only covers, but safeguards the valuable investments inside. It’s the part of the construction project that gets a lot of attention during the initial stage of the design process in terms of form, finish, materials and color.
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Designing Into the Future |
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With hospitals juggling a constant stream of patients and the necessity of maintaining top-quality service at all times, no building expansion is ever easy. When it came time for MultiCare Health System to add four new floors and 160,000 square feet for its new Surgical Care Center and Regional Vascular Center at Tacoma General Hospital in Tacoma, Wash., there was little room for error.
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A Sensible Approach to Protecting Patient Privacy |
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The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA) Privacy Rule was implemented several years ago, but healthcare organizations will be struggling with the issue of compliance for years to come.
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Creative South Tower Addition Enhances Michigan Hospital |
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Michigan is well-known for its harsh, long winters. At William Beaumont Hospital—in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak—winter is just a state of mind. The hospital's skylit Debra Saber-Salisbury Memorial Garden provides a year-round park where—even in the winter—visitors can bask in the sun, enjoy the fragrance of beautiful flowers and walk across lush green grass.
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