Healthcare evolves at a breakneck pace, meaning designing today's space is really an exercise in anticipating where the industry will be tomorrow. That can be a tough call, and will inspire much discussion at Bisnow's Seattle Healthcare Forum on June 29 at the Four Seasons Seattle.
CollinsWoerman principal Phil Giuntoli, who will be a speaker, tells us the biggest challenge facing healthcare design is uncertainty, which has caused lack of resolve within healthcare systems. "No one knows exactly what to do now because they don’t know how they will get paid in the future," he says. "While our clients used to be confident in their next steps building a viable delivery system, now their caution has become debilitating."
As an example: today an MRI is a revenue-generator and considered standard care for many suspected medical conditions, Phil notes. Tomorrow, with bundled payments (if that happens), it will be a cost center and evidence-based medicine will influence medical testing and best practice.
"Questions cloud over every design direction: Should there be more beds, more operating rooms, more exam rooms, and so on? The transition is difficult," Phil says. "While we know we're moving from fee-for-service, we're not yet sure of when the change will occur and what we should do during the meantime."
Hear more from Phil and our other expert speakers at the Seattle Healthcare Forum, beginning at 7:30am June 29 at the Four Seasons Seattle. Sign up here.
