Do you enjoy what you do? WE DO! We love working with people like you -- hospital purchasing managers/buyers, clinical department managers, and other large facility equipment purchasers. And we love working with hospital space planners who find the challenges of space planning projects stimulating and rewarding.
While we do not do space planning, we love working with the people who do in order to address the logistics and delivery issues that may arise.
Space and equipment planning professionals must be able to assist in the development of new, expanding or to-be remodeled hospital and clinic areas. We enjoy working with them since they are engaged in keeping up-to-date regarding trends and the future of facility and hospital space planning.
Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG), a program of the National Institute of Building Sciences, says hospitals are the most complex building type, because each hospital is a network of units that offer a huge range of services and equipment. The basic space challenges that must be considered are based on each area's function:
- Bed-related inpatient care
- Ambulatory-related outpatient care
- Administrative, diagnostic and treatment activities
- Service (food, supply, storage)
- Labs or conference/teaching
Richard Sprow is a well-known Senior Health Facility Planner and has documented important information in Planning Hospitals of the Future about hospital space planning to assist those who are planning and facilitating the convenient delivery and proper storage of medical equipment. His ideas about new hospital space planning include:
Re-examining patient flow
From the time a patient enters a facility through the time they leave, the flow pattern is becoming so digital that a type of "concierge" job may need to be created to assist patients to and through their multi-department services.
Integrating information technology seamlessly
As clipboards and paper trails are eliminated, the need for more technology equipment space increases. Space planners have to work to create this functional environment in a 24/7 facility. Hospitals can't afford to be "Closed for Remodeling."
Fast response time
It's not as easy as simply identifying an urgent need for additional imaging equipment, for example, it's about financially managing and quickly coming up with new space design, plus minimizing patient care interruption, so that your medical equipment's service will be able to generate superior patient care and increase revenue, and do it quickly.
Plan for space changes and make informed decisions
Hospital and medical site individual rooms must be developed and designed for flexibility to accommodate function and equipment switching with ease, just as when that cardiology exam room became a pediatric consultation office.
Watch for these future developments
- Directional wall signs will be replaced by interactive information stations or computerized kiosks that help patients and visitors navigate the hospital faster.
- The development of larger and more operating surgical theaters grouped together that include pre- peri- and post-operative units will replace hospitals featuring multiple, scattered surgical rooms.
Your space design goals
- Improved patient care and effective family communication is the hospital's primary goal.
- Long-life equipment and long-term energy savings are medical equipment purchase factors.
- Equipment placement considerations should be primary in patient safety and efficient operations.
- Equipment should deliver value for the money and low maintenance.
- Traffic control and air circulation in every space is always a factor.
- Expansion flexibility should anticipate ever-changing technology upgrades.
These are all things that professional space and equipment planners are fully aware of and are able to effectively and creatively address.
About CME: CME Corp is the nation’s premier source for healthcare equipment, turnkey logistics, and biomedical services, representing 2 million+ products from more than 2,000 manufacturers. We consistently work to accommodate our clients' delivery and logistics requirements, delivering on time at the right time.
With two corporate offices and 35+ service centers, our mission is to help healthcare facilities nationwide reduce the cost of the equipment they purchase, make their equipment specification, delivery, installation, and maintenance processes more efficient, and help them seamlessly launch, renovate and expand on schedule. If you have additional questions about new facility or remodeling equipment requirements, contact us.
