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48 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2018 ELEMENTS Health Care Design H ealth care de- sign and de- velopment will need to continue to adapt to meet the demands of the ever changing health care industry. The evolving health care landscape includes changes to amenities and types/ locations of hospital services, in- cluding clinics in retail facilities, more accessible outpatient facilities, free-standing emergency departments and micro-hospitals. The year ahead will see continued developments in how health care providers expect the architec- tural industry to design and equip their facilities to meet both patient and market needs. As patients and families have become more sophisticated consumers, the health care pro- vider systems have taken cues from the hos- pitality industry to embrace a customer focus. The trend is shifting outpatient services from traditional in-patient hospitals to more consum- er-friendly environments. Increasing numbers of same-day services and procedures are being per- formed outside of hospitals, in community loca- tions, which facilitates operational efficiencies and improves clinical outcomes, as well as enhancing customer convenience and satisfaction. Micro-hospitals are now operational in multiple states across the U.S. These hospitals provide similar services to larger hospitals (emergency department, pharmacy, lab, radiology and surgery) in a smaller envelope, generally under 50,000 square feet. They are open 24/7 and maintain a limited number of in- patient beds for observation and short stays. Recent changes to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reimbursement schedules for satellite facilities will make micro-hospitals an increasingly popular op- tion. Outpatient surgical centers provide convenient community access for surgeries that do not require an extended hospital stay. These are less expensive to build and staff, while catering to the suburban com- munities by providing easy access to care. They act as feeders to the larger hospitals when more acute care is needed. Behavioral health accommodations are critical drivers for emergency department design. Hospitals recognize the need to accommodate im- paired patients in the emergency department more effectively. With a greater awareness of untreated mental health conditions, along with the nation- al opioid abuse crisis, hospitals realize the need to separate patients who pose a risk to themselves and others. Areas within the ED are being designed for people/families experiencing a crisis requiring be- havioral-health or addiction-management inter- vention. These include places to securely store be- longings, shower and space to decompress. Acute care hospital construction continues to grow as baby boomers are aging. For the next 11 to 12 years, roughly 10,000 Americans will turn 65 every day. By 2030, about 18 percent of the U.S. population will be over age 65. Even with services pushed to outpatient Margie Snow, CHID, EDAC Principal, Gallun Snow Health Care Design Adapts to Meet Changing Industry Denver Health Medical Center, 15,000-plus-square- foot basement café expansion and renovation. Interiors by Gallun Snow; architecture by Bennett Wagner & Grody; engineering by Cator Ruma; kitch- en consulting by SDI; and construction by GH Phipps. UCHealth Cancer Center, Harmony Campus, Fort Collins, 30,000-square-foot expansion to a 140,000- sf MOB with 35,000-sf renovation of existing areas. Interiors by Gallun Snow; architecture by Heery; en- gineering by Martin/Martin and BCER; and construc- tion by Adolfson & Peterson Construction. Courtesy Bob Soman