The state of healthcare in our nation today is at the brink of significant change, as the passing of healthcare reform impacts everything from how health systems operate to the use of technology in managing and providing care. To help healthcare leaders navigate the increasingly complex environment, DPR Construction (“DPR”), a national technical builder specializing in highly complex and sustainable projects, conducted a year-long study to gather the perspectives of more than 40 CEOs, owners, designers and management consultants. The study found that health economics, healthcare delivery and buildings of the future are three key areas that will become increasingly important to the health industry over the next 10 years.
Using a mix of in-person interviews and online surveys with DPR customers and other leading organizations, DPR’s “Future of Healthcare” study also identified 10 areas of change that will be integral to shaping the industry’s future. These include:
- Accountable Care Organizations
- Pay-for-Performance
- Aging Population
- Electronic Medical Records
- Healthcare Worker Shortage
- Sophisticated Diagnostic and Treatment Equipment
- Handheld Computers and Portable Diagnostic Equipment
- Medical Homes
- Holistic, Patient-Centered Environment
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Health economics
Among study participants, many noted that systems are not fully prepared for the increasing population of aging individuals. When healthcare reform does get fully implemented, 32 million more insured U.S. citizens will skyrocket demand. Both will contribute to an already stressed system, making health economics one of the most critical elements of the industry’s future. While new and upgraded technologies entering the market will put strain on health providers’ and systems’ budgets, being able to deliver health that is patient-centric, centralized and vertically integrated will become increasingly important and help deliver better care while reducing costs.
“We have worked with leading healthcare providers for many years, and we clearly see that 2012 is heading into an unprecedented era in managing health economics. Cash flow is more strained than ever due to continued economic uncertainty and a slow recessionary recovery, making cost cutting a priority for health system executives,” said Hamilton Espinosa, DPR’s National Healthcare Group Leader. “The perspectives of these executives reinforced what we’ve been hearing: providers are seeking to deliver the best care while striving to be cost effective.”
Health delivery
According to the study’s findings, hospitals of the future will only serve acute-care patients. Outpatient facilities will deliver less critical care for less cost, while serving broader regional sites. Detroit-based Beaumont Health System, an 18-year recipient of the “Best Hospitals” ranking by U.S. News & World Report, was one of the study’s participants and discussed the evolution. “The hospital will become just for the highest acuity care. The focus needs to shift to home health, primary care and outpatient care,” said Gene Michalski, CEO of Beaumont Health System.
Additionally, health information technology will remain the backbone of delivery, helping to ensure care is delivered more efficiently to lower overall cost. “We are 20 years behind on IT infrastructure, and IT improvements are taking capital that might otherwise have gone to facilities at this time,” noted study participant John Kemper, CEO of KLMK Group, a leading provider of innovative facility solutions to healthcare owners for more than 25 years.
Buildings of the future
With limited access to capital, many noted that fewer new projects will take place and more renovations will rise, largely driven by the need to meet patient satisfaction standards over the long-term. At the same time, better technology will drive overall innovation in technical construction – meaning buildings of the future will be adaptable, both in terms of patient needs and technology. “As health technologies become more sophisticated and simultaneously require less physical space, server and data center support needs will increase,” said DPR’s Espinosa. “Future building will need to accommodate these trends, with increased emphasis around design and system integration to save on costs.”
Additional operational insights
DPR’s Future of Healthcare study also found that 17% of respondents agreed the formation of Accountable Care Organizations – organizations of healthcare providers who agree to be accountable for the quality, cost and overall care of those enrolled in their program – would have the greatest impact over the next five years, followed by pay-for-performance and the growth of the nation’s aging population (tied at 14 percent). Additionally, growth in implementation of universal platforms of care that offer customizable experiences will also be important, while new kinds of outpatient services will provide many of the medical functions previously confined to the hospital.
For additional study results and findings visit: http://www.dpr.com/assets/docs/the-future-of-healthcare.pdf?/futureofhc. +
Related Stories
| Jan 31, 2011
CISCA releases White Paper on Acoustics in Healthcare Environments
The Ceilings & Interior Systems Construction Association (CISCA) has released an extensive white paper “Acoustics in Healthcare Environments” for architects, interior designers, and other design professionals who work to improve healthcare settings for all users. This white paper serves as a comprehensive introduction to the acoustical issues commonly confronted on healthcare projects and howbest to address those.
| Jan 27, 2011
Perkins Eastman's report on senior housing signals a changing market
Top international design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman is pleased to announce that the Perkins Eastman Research Collaborative recently completed the “Design for Aging Review 10 Insights and Innovations: The State of Senior Housing” study for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The results of the comprehensive study reflect the changing demands and emerging concepts that are re-shaping today’s senior living industry.
| Jan 21, 2011
Harlem facility combines social services with retail, office space
Harlem is one of the first neighborhoods in New York City to combine retail with assisted living. The six-story, 50,000-sf building provides assisted living for residents with disabilities and a nonprofit group offering services to minority groups, plus retail and office space.
| Jan 21, 2011
Research center built for interdisciplinary cooperation
The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, in Houston, the first basic research institute for childhood neurological diseases, is a 13-story twisting tower in the center of the hospital campus.
| Jan 19, 2011
Biomedical research center in Texas to foster scientific collaboration
The new Health and Biomedical Sciences Center at the University of Houston will facilitate interaction between scientists in a 167,000-sf, six-story research facility. The center will bring together researchers from many of the school’s departments to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects. The facility also will feature an ambulatory surgery center for the College of Optometry, the first of its kind for an optometry school. Boston-based firms Shepley Bulfinch and Bailey Architects designed the project.
| Jan 19, 2011
New Fort Hood hospital will replace aging medical center
The Army Corps of Engineers selected London-based Balfour Beatty and St. Louis-based McCarthy to provide design-build services for the Fort Hood Replacement Hospital in Texas, a $503 million, 944,000-sf complex partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The firm plans to use BIM for the project, which will include outpatient clinics, an ambulance garage, a central utility plant, and three parking structures. Texas firms HKS Architects and Wingler & Sharp will participate as design partners. The project seeks LEED Gold.
| Jan 10, 2011
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group: ‘There’s a significant pent-up demand for projects’
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group, a national corporate real estate development firm headquartered in Skokie, Ill., on the growth of urban centers, project financing, and what clients are saying about sustainability.
| Dec 17, 2010
ARRA-funded Navy hospital aims for LEED Gold
The team of Clark/McCarthy, HKS Architects, and Wingler & Sharp are collaborating on the design of a new naval hospital at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. The $451 million project is the largest so far awarded by the U.S. Navy under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The 500,000-sf, 67-bed hospital, to be located on a 70-acre site, will include facilities for emergency and primary care, specialty care clinics, surgery, and intensive care. The Building Team is targeting LEED Gold.
| Dec 17, 2010
Arizona outpatient cancer center to light a ‘lantern of hope’
Construction of the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert, Ariz., is under way. Located on the Banner Gateway Medical Center campus near Phoenix, the three-story, 131,000-sf outpatient facility will house radiation oncology, outpatient imaging, multi-specialty clinics, infusion therapy, and various support services. Cannon Design incorporated a signature architectural feature called the “lantern of hope” for the $90 million facility.
| Oct 18, 2010
World’s first zero-carbon city on track in Abu Dhabi
Masdar City, the world’s only zero-carbon city, is on track to be built in Abu Dhabi, with completion expected as early as 2020. Foster + Partners developed the $22 billion city’s master plan, with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Aedas, and Lava Architects designing buildings for the project’s first phase, which is on track to be ready for occupancy by 2015.
