The Hospital of the FUTURE . . .

Healthleaders magazine had a cover story entitled "The Hospital of the Future" written by Molly Rowe.   The line below the title read: "Sure, your organization offers sophisticated, compassionate care.  But the patient of tomorrow will want much more than that.  Here's how some hospitals are creating facilities for a new vision of healthcare." 

Rather than re-write the entire story, I'd like to list eleven of the bullet points that were identified as qualifiers for future care in these new hospitals.  Then I'd like to ask those of you who have known, followed, or otherwise used us for your healthcare needs to identify which of those eleven are currently missing from this hospital environment, and, for that matter, which have not been a part of our experience here for the past decade?

1. Rather than report to a central admitting desk, patients and visitors are welcomed by greeters who escort them to appropriate locations.
   
   
2. Decor is focused on nature with earthy colors; indoor gardens, trees and fountains; and ample natural light.
   
   
3. It's much quieter thanks to sound-absorbing tiles, wireless communication, and limited overhead paging.
   
   
4. The lobby is consumer-centric with coffee shops, sitting areas, and kiosks for requesting information and scheduling appointments.
   
   
5. More attention is paid to way finding and signage, and hospital departments are given names that are less medical in nature.
   
   
6. Preventing disease and encouraging wellness are as important as diagnosing symptoms and treating illness.
   
   
7. Patient rooms are private, standardized, and bigger to allow overnight space for family members.
   
   
8. Patient rooms include built-in safety features like bathrooms located near patient beds to reduce falls and prominently placed sinks to encourage hand-washing.
   
   
9. For patient education and family entertainment, patient rooms and waiting ares are equipped with flat-screen TV's and Internet access.
   
   
10. Electronic records are standard practice.
    
    
11. In-home monitoring and diagnostic tools make it possible for patients to be diagnosed, treated, and monitored in their own homes.

 Maybe the better question to ask is: are there any ideas listed here that have not been put forth as challenges for implementation to our vice presidents, directors, or physician leaders?  Okay, we're not completely there yet, but we surely are close, and for Windber Medical Center the future has been NOW for quite some time.  The things not on this list that we do include:

• Comprehensive Integrative Medicine including: acupuncture, Reiki, massage, energy medicine, flower essence, music, spiritual healing programs, physical manipulation, stress management/yoga, humor, pet, and aroma therapy.
• Community based work-out facility.
• Genomic and proteomic affiliated research lab for translational medicine.
• Walking trails, meditation and healing gardens, outdoor fountains and labrynths.
• Cardiac disease reversal program
• On-campus Greenhouse
• Trans-fat-free menu
• Meals served to patients, families, and staff on each floor.
• Lots and lots of polite, nurturing tender loving care.

I rest my case...

 

Comments

[Karthik Raman]

Nick-This is a cool post. Thanks for sharing this with the blogosphere. I like the way you ended this post with..polite, nurturing, tlc. No matter how high tech medical science gets, quality of care will always depend on the human touch.
On the high tech front I would like to add Smart Rooms. Smart rooms is a technology that makes patient rooms aware of people in it and displays the right information at the right time. It even reminds doctors and nurses to saitize their hands.
http://healthcaremanagementblog.com/smart-patient-rooms/

[Karthik Raman]

Nick,
I like how you ended the list with nurturing tender care. No matter how hi-tech the hospital of the future is, we will still need caring individuals to improve our health. Sure, they may be more empowered, better informed and well placed to make decisions.
Here is something I would like to add to this list..
Smart Rooms - Patient rooms that are aware of who enters, what they need to look at and when..http://healthcaremanagementblog.com/smart-patient-rooms/

[Karthik Raman]

Nick,
I like how you ended the list with nurturing tender care. No matter how hi-tech the hospital of the future is, we will still need caring individuals to improve our health. Sure, they may be more empowered, better informed and well placed to make decisions.
Here is something I would like to add to this list..
Smart Rooms - Patient rooms that are aware of who enters, what they need to look at and when..http://healthcaremanagementblog.com/smart-patient-rooms/