Breaking Ground: What's New in Hospital Design, Construction?

Abstract

hen the new, state-of-the-art Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, VA, opens ahead of schedule and under budget in 2011, medical technology professionals will be more than mere bystanders at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Instead, the clinical engineering department there will be celebrating its “instrumental” role in every aspect of the construction, from the building design to the selection of materials and equipment down to the unseen— but enormously important—details behind the walls and ceilings in every room. Traditionally, healthcare construction and renovation projects have been the domain of architects, engineers, and contractors on the building side; and institutional leaders, facilities, finance, and purchasing managers on the healthcare side. Compared to these key players, medical technology professionals have played a bit part, mostly in their core realm of medical equipment. Over the past few years, that seems to be changing. Medical technology professionals are increasingly involved in construction and renovation project teams, from concept to completion. Why? In a word, it’s all about value-added. “Biomedical and clinical engineering are vital to the success of any hospital construction, expansion, remodeling, or development where medical devices may be used,” says Mike Papa, biomedical supervisor at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, PA. Nowadays, of course, that’s everywhere. Plus, medical and information technology (IT) are rapidly converging—and becoming a highly complex centerpiece of clinical services. Building designs, specifications, and construction must accommodate this new technology—and the clinicians who use it to manage patient care, safety, and outcomes. This will become a more urgent priority as momentum grows for medical device interoperability and the “meaningful use” of electronic health records. The Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) has recommended that a standard for remote monitoring medical device interoperability (IS77) be available by 2015 or sooner. “Since biomedical and clinical engineering professionals are subject matter experts for a large variety of medical devices, they have the ability to see the big picture during construction projects,” says Papa, who has worked on several smalland large-scale projects at St. Luke’s. “Biomedical engineering technicians and clinical engineers understand the clinical goals and can translate those goals into terms that general contractors, architects, and engineers can build upon.” Working with IT professionals, for example, “they can determine the true cost of deployment and ownership to obtain the real investment in technology,” says Tom Boston, project engineer at Global Technology Resources, Inc., an IT integration consulting firm in Denver, CO. Martha Vockley is principal of VockleyLang, LLC, a communications and marketing firm based in Reston, VA. E-mail: mmv@cox.net Martha Vockley What’s New in Hospital Design, Construction? Breaking Ground