I recently took part in a panel for the Tulsa chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) focusing on healthcare. With the need for outpatient clinic facilities and medical office buildings on the rise today, the developers, brokers, and other real estate professionals in the audience were interested in design trends that contributed to successful healthcare environments—and successful investments.
CTCA: Setting the Standard
Our work for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) around the country keeps us focused on important trends in healthcare facility design. CTCA is clearly ahead of the curve, with buildings that emphasize a patient-centered approach. Streamlined, skillful care is the standard, with a commitment to empathetic patient treatment, comfort, and education. At CTCA, patients and their families find uplifting, friendly, and healing environments.
Developers of medical office buildings, outpatient clinics, and urgent care centers can draw important lessons from CTCA's benchmark for well-appointed yet efficient healthcare environments. Public spaces should be flexible, welcoming, and comfortable. While it is important to avoid "fad finishes" that will become dated, the quality of furnishings and finishes is critical to helping patients feel at home. A "user-friendly" approach that incorporates amenities and educational resources, such as coffee bars, kiosks, and displays, can help attract patients to clinics rather than having to navigate large hospitals. Lobby spaces should be suitably sized and designed with these opportunities in mind.
Smart Design
Sustainability is another important aspect in designing healthcare facilities today. Energy-efficient structures and systems can create significant savings in terms of reduced utility bills and long-term life cycle costs. We will also see more clinics and "storefront" healthcare facilities set in shopping centers and big-box retail spaces—an adaptive reuse approach that also places outpatient services close to home with ample parking for patients.
Moving administrative staff out of inpatient hospital settings—where operational costs are higher—into nearby office buildings also reflects a growing trend. This enables healthcare providers to optimize use of their hospital settings with staffing and functions oriented to patients, rather than administrative functions that can be housed elsewhere.
As we celebrate National Hospital Week next week, it's clear that the design and development landscape is changing within the healthcare market. The focus, however, hasn't changed—patient comfort and care is foremost.