Lee Memorial Health System

Fort Myers, Florida 

With 1,435 beds, the Lee Memorial Health System is the largest community-owned healthcare system in southwest Florida. Multiple facility planning engagements have been conducted over the past decade including:

• In 1999, a comprehensive facility master plan was developed to guide capital investments over the ten-year period from 2000 to 2010. The initial planning effort incorporated the three acute care campuses including Lee Memorial Hospital (427 beds), Cape Coral Hospital (291 beds), and HealthPark Medical Center (368 beds). Specific activities included projecting future bed need and ancillary service demand for the entire system, identifying clinical service line reconfiguration opportunities, estimating future space need, and identifying immediate, short-term, and long-range capital investment at each of the three campuses. The expansion of the HealthPark Medical Center was completed according to the facility master plan.

• In 2002, the facility master plan was updated to address specific issues relative to Lee Memorial Hospital’s changing market and demand.

• In 2007, the facility master plan was updated to reflect the next ten years (2010 to 2020) and to incorporate the acquisition of Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center (400 beds) and Gulf Coast Hospital (120 beds). Specific activities included projecting future bed need and ancillary service demand through 2020, assessing system-wide facility capacity with the addition of two more acute care campuses, and facilitating Board, Executive Council, and Medical Executive Committee planning sessions to discuss clinical service realignment scenarios among the five acute care campuses. The space impact and comparative capital investment was estimated for each scenario. 

Expansion of Gulf Coast Hospital is currently underway. Upon its completion, Southwest Florida Regional Medical center will be closed. Renovation projects at the remaining three campuses have been identified for future funding.  back to top

Group Health Cooperative Health System

Seattle, Washington

Several facility planning engagements have been conducted for this consumer-governed, nonprofit health care system that coordinates care for over 500,000 members in Washington and Idaho:

New Medical Center in Bellevue. As part of the replacement of the existing Eastside Hospital in Redmond with a new comprehensive outpatient medical center in Bellevue ― adjacent and connected to Overlake Hospital's new 104-bed inpatient tower ― the following assistance was provided:

• Reviewed and provided a “second opinion” regarding the overall pre-design planning process and functional and space program that was under development.

• Facilitated multidisciplinary user groups to “rethink” the proposed organization of clinical services and facility layout to enhance customer service, promote efficient operations, and provide long-range operational and physical flexibility.

• Recommended systemwide facility planning principles to be incorporated into all new and renovated Group Health facilities.

• Revised the functional and space program for the new 200,000 square foot facility to include an emergency/urgent care center, diagnostic center, special procedure center, and rehab center. Five clinic flexible modules were also planned to accommodate over 160,000 annual outpatient visits.

New Primary Care Center in Redmond. A functional and space program was prepared for Group Health's new primary care center near downtown Redmond (31,000 square feet) to include a diagnostic center and primary care clinics.

Comprehensive space allocation model. A comprehensive space allocation model was developed to allow Group Health project planners to estimate preliminary space need ― for all new and renovated facilities in its health system ― based on projected workload and various other parameters.  back to top

Kettering Medical Center

Kettering, Ohio 

This 522-bed medical center in southwest Ohio is recognized as a major cardiac care center, noted for its comprehensive cancer program, and known for pioneering high technology medicine. A comprehensive planning effort was undertaken to reconfigure the first and ground floors of the medical center to provide convenient one-stop-shopping for routine outpatients and same-day medical and surgical patients along with the expansion of the emergency department, radiology, and invasive cardiology services. 

Current and future workload projections were developed and space needs identified for each of the following facility components:

• Customer service center to consolidate reception, outpatient registration, admitting, and financial counseling into a single convenient location directly inside the main hospital entrance.

• Express testing center to consolidate phlebotomy services, routine X-ray, EKG, and other pre-admission/pre-surgery services.

• Same-day medical center to accommodate routine and same-day medical services such as GI and pulmonary procedures, IV therapy, transfusions, pain clinic, liver biopsies, and shared outpatient recovery space (e.g., specialty imaging, invasive cardiology).

• Shared interventional procedure suite, including interventional radiology and interventional cardiology procedure rooms, co-located with the surgical operating rooms to facilitate future flexibility.

• Expanded emergency department with one treatment “pod” co-located with the same-day medical center to enhance operational flexibility during peak periods.

In addition, a conceptual wayfinding plan was developed to reduce the number of potential outpatient destinations, simplify destination names, and provide consistent and readable signage. The reconfiguration of the first and ground floors is being implemented according to a multi-phase construction schedule.  back to top

Mount Sinai Medical Center and Miami Heart Institute

Miami Beach, Florida 

A facility master plan was developed in the year 2000 for Mount Sinai Medical Center's 651-bed campus and subsequently updated in 2002 to include the newly acquired Miami Heart Institute (258 beds). Specific activities included projecting future bed need and ancillary service demand, evaluating facility capacity, and identifying current and future space need. A clinical service realignment plan was developed to enhance operational efficiency, improve customer service and wayfinding, and reduce ongoing capital investment on the two campuses. A long-range facility reconfiguration strategy was developed and capital investment needs estimated for both campuses.

Subsequently, detailed operational and space programs were prepared for all immediate and short-term projects identified in the facility master plan.

In 2007, the initial ten-year facility master plan was updated to reflect capital requirements for 2010 to 2020. Consolidation of the invasive and noninvasive cardiology services on the Mount Sinai Medical Center campus and creation of a new “customer service center” has been completed. All acute care beds have been consolidated on the Mount Sinai campus and planning for the replacement of the existing surgery suite is in process.  back to top

Fraser Health Authority

Surrey, British Columbia

Fraser Health ― one of British Columbia's six health authorities ― provides a continuum of health services to 1.5 million people living in communities east of Vancouver through a network of 12 acute care hospitals and more than 80 other healthcare facilities. Planning engagements have been conducted for the following Fraser Health facilities:

• Surrey Memorial Hospital. An ambulatory care strategy was developed for this 370-bed community hospital. Specific activities included inventorying all ambulatory services on the existing campus, reviewing future workload projections and related systemwide operational initiatives, identifying services that could be located off-site, and estimating future space need based on varying operational scenarios.

• New Ambulatory Care Facility. A functional and space program was developed for a new 160,000 square foot freestanding ambulatory care facility to be constructed in the Surrey community ― based on an innovative organizational concept to facilitate customer service, efficient staffing, and long-term flexibility. Services included an "express testing" area, comprehensive diagnostic center, outpatient surgery center, medical day care, dialysis, rehabilitation, and a variety of clinics.

• Peace Arch Hospital. A functional and space program was developed for the addition of two new inpatient floors to this 146-bed community hospital in White Rock. The space and layout will serve as a prototype to facilitate patient-centered care as subsequent future expansion occurs.

• Chilliwack General Hospital. A facility assessment was performed for this 104-bed community hospital including a review of existing space allocation, facility layout, and capacity based on future bed need and ancillary service projections. A major objective was to reach consensus on the current issues, facility development options, and potential solutions associated with seven key priority clinical services. Subsequently, detailed functional and space programs were prepared for the expansion of key clinical services. back to top

University of Miami School of Medicine

Miami, Florida 

A strategy to decompress current clinical, education, and research facilities through a potential multi-institutional collaborative planning effort was prepared for the University of Miami School of Medicine. Specific activities included:

• Prepared a capacity analysis of two acute care hospitals relative to their potential use for key clinical programs; the analysis included evaluation of current utilization, space need, customer wayfinding, infrastructure issues, and overall investment costs.

• Facilitated meetings with selected interdisciplinary task forces to identify program, facility, and customer wayfinding needs.

• Prepared a high-level summary presentation to educate key administrative and faculty constituents.  back to top

Good Samaritan Hospital

Puyallup, Washington

The following facility planning services were provided for this 225-bed acute care hospital that is part of the MultiCare Health System:

• Confirmed future workload projections for all ancillary services.

• Facilitated multidisciplinary user group workshops to identify opportunities for service reconfiguration as part of an overall campus renewal project to replace key clinical services and over 200 inpatient beds in new construction.

• Provided functional and space programming assistance for the emergency department, diagnostic center, surgery/special procedure center, and other clinical services.

Construction will begin in 2008 with completion expected in 2010.  back to top

Forum Health

Youngstown, Ohio

A systemwide capital investment strategy was developed for this healthcare organization in northeastern Ohio resulting in a comprehensive facility master plan incorporating all three acute care hospitals including Northside Medical Center (356 beds), Trumbull Memorial Hospital (253 beds), and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital (54 beds), and four ambulatory care centers. The plan was updated three years later to address specific issues relative to Northside Medical Center including development of a new Heart Center and nursing unit reconfiguration to reflect changing market dynamics. Specific activities included:

• Projected future bed need and ancillary service demand for the entire system.

• Facilitated Board and Executive Committee planning sessions regarding various clinical program realignment scenarios between the three acute care campuses and ambulatory care campuses.

• Prepared a long-range facility reconfiguration strategy and detailed implementation plan identifying immediate, short-term, and long-range capital investment needs for all of the Forum Health campuses.

• Defined key resource needs (staff, equipment, and space/facilities) for the planned Heart Center and conducted a detailed bed need analysis and nursing unit reconfiguration plan at Northside Medical Center.

Renovation projects have occurred at the three acute care campuses according to the respective facility master plans. Expansion of the Beeghley Medical Park has been completed resulting in a new Women's Pavilion.  back to top

Hackensack University Medical Center

Hackensack, New Jersey

This 781-bed teaching and research hospital ― affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (New Jersey Medical School) ― is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in the state of New Jersey. As part of a campuswide facility master plan, incorporating both the hospital and a 276,000 square foot ambulatory care center, the following activities were performed:

• Confirmed future bed need and ancillary service demand.

• Assessed the current facilities and projected future space needs for all major clinical services including the emergency department, ancillary diagnostics, and ambulatory care services ― based on various bed expansion scenarios for use in a financial feasibility analysis.

• Prepared the functional and space program for a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital at the medical center. Eighteen detailed functional and space programs were completed and reviewed in an eight-week period. The process included ten user groups composed of physicians, nurses, managers, and ancillary staff.

• Assisted the design architect in identifying and resolving issues related to facility layout and site circulation. 

Construction of a new bed tower and a women's and children's pavilion has been completed along with other renovation projects to facilitate ancillary service expansion.