This unique Resource Center was created for the use of ACHA members and others interested in timely information directly related to healthcare facility planning, design and construction. Our goal is to promote awareness and educational exchange and to broaden our base of understanding in all areas of healthcare facilities.

This on-line library is organized by general topic headings, with links to articles that explore a broad range of topics including the future of healthcare architecture, facility planning, creative innovations in ambulatory care, specialty hospital design, new technology in healthcare and its impact on facility design, healing environments, construction and project management issues.

The articles in this Resource Center have been reviewed and deemed of interest to healthcare architects. Their inclusion, however, does not reflect the opinions of the ACHA or guarantee the accuracy of the content.

California Health Facilities Forum - 2009

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Hospitals and the Economy
By: Anne McLeod, Vice President, Finance Policy, California Hospital Association
http://healtharchitects.org/files/Anne McLeod Presentation.pdf

The Impact of Laws, Regulations and Codes on Future Healthcare Construction in California
By: Paul Coleman, Architect, Deputy Director
http://healtharchitects.org/files/Paul Coleman Presentation.pdf

Resources for Master Planning, Space Planning and Programming

 

Healthcare Facility Planning: Thinking Strategically
by Cynthia Hayward AIA, ACHA
Published by Health Administration Press as part of the American College of Healthcare Executives Management Series
http://www.ache.org/PUBS/hayward.cfm

SpaceMed: A Space Planning Guide For Healthcare Facilities
by Cynthia Hayward AIA, ACHA
http://www.spacemed.com/

Design teamwork from day one: Getting owners, designers, and builders at the planning table from the start gets results
by BONNIE WALKER, AIA Artwork by HGA Architects and Engineers
Healthcare Design July 2006
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Past_Issues.htm?ID=5266

Four takes on planning: Facility planners, designers, and operators mull over today’s changes in the rules of the game
Healthcare Design Healthcare Design March 2005, Volume 5 No. 1
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Past_Issues.htm?ID=4002
HEALTHCARE DESIGN asked four prominent participants in the healthcare planning process to address questions about today’s planning process and how it relates to healthcare clients. Their answers have been assembled as mini-essays.

Design for the Long Term
by Carl Beers, AIA
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Design_for_the_Long_Term.pdf

Shaping a New Organization
by Larry Flynn
Building Design and Construction February 1, 2004
http://www.bdcmag.com/magazine/articles/bdc0402valleyview.asp
The physical design of a small rural replacement hospital prompts its owner to streamline operations to serve patients more effectively.

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Resources for Hospitals: General

 

What You Need to Know
Depreciating and Stating the Value of Hospital Buildings: What You Need to Know

Hospitals whose layouts are meant to improve care
by Josh Goldstein
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Hospitals_whose_layouts_are_mea...

Emergency Department Design
by John Huddy, AIA
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/ER_Deptartment_Design.pdf

Key Considerations in Patient Room Design, part 1
by Sheila F. Cahnman, AIA, ACHA
Healthcare Design April 2006
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com

Key Considerations in Patient Room Design, part 2
by Sheila F. Cahnman, AIA, ACHA
Healthcare Design May 2006
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Inpatient_Bed_Design_Part_2.pdf

The Effect of Population Aging on Future Hospital Demand
by Bradley C. Strunk, Paul B. Ginsburg, Michelle I. Banker
Health Affairs, Web Exclusive March 28, 2006
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/The_Effect_of_Population_Aging_...
April 2006 E-memo Article

Ultra-Tech Hospitals
by Larry Flynn
Building Design and Construction February 1, 2004
http://www.bdcmag.com/magazine/articles/bdc0402healthcaretechnology.asp
Fast paced breakthroughs in medical technology are forcing Building Teams to design and construct hospitals for today, but with an eye to the future.

At Long Last, Hospitals Are Going High Tech
by Alan Joch
Architectural Record September 2003
http://www.archrecord.construction.com/features/digital/archives/0309fea...
Innovations are changing how health care is delivered and how hospitals are designed.

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Resources for Specialty Hospitals

 

'SURGE’ Hospitals: A New Concept in Disaster Medical Care.
by GEORGE J. MANN, AIA, AND PAUL K. CARLTON, JR., MD, FACS (LT. GEN. USAF RET.)
Healthcare Design November 2005
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Current_Issue.htm?ID=4715
“SURGE” hospitals, designed to respond to surges in numbers of patients in the event of a natural or man-made disaster would provide an alternative to our nation’s existing healthcare system during emergencies.

Radiation Oncology - Design and Construction
by George E. Myers
AIA from Healthcare Construction and Operations July/August 2005
http://www.healthcarefacility.net/index.cfm?do=otm2&otm_id=102
The considerations for a radiation/oncology facility are numerous. Understanding the required steps and relying on a skilled team helps unlock the mystery of designing and constructing these facilities including the stringent design and engineering standards, and productive operational flow.

Metaphorical Design Method: Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
by Louis D. Astorino, FAIA
Architecture Week October 1, 2003
www.architectureweek.com/2003/1010/culture_1-1.html
For the design of the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, the author integrated its existing design process with the Zeltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) to gain understanding of the deepest needs of its users then to translate those needs into design solutions.

10 Principles for Creating a World Class Children's Hospital
by Bruce King Komiske, FACHE
Healthcare Design May, 2003
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Past_Issues.htm?ID=1402
The article is a discussion of 10 principles that the best children's hospitals share to provide insight into what it takes to be a world-class children's hospital.

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Resources for Ambulatory Care Centers

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Desert Clinic Blends Beauty, Efficiency
by Donald W. Caskey
Health Facilities Management Posted Friday, April 16, 2004
http://www.hfmmagazine.com/hfmmagazine/hospitalconnect/search/article.js...

Flexibility, Focus on Future are Keys to Healthcare Design Success
by Kelly M. Pyrek
Surgicenteronline
http://www.surgicenteronline.com/articles/351feat.html
Although construction of healthcare facilities in the late 1990s increased, hospital revenues and inpatient census declined. The reason, has everything to do with the fact that hospitals and clinics are "retooling their facilities as the healthcare industry reinvents itself for the future," It is possible to have growth without profits, but it is a trend most administrators obviously hope is a short-term one. In the meantime, healthcare design professionals are riding a similar roller coaster.

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Resources for Miscellaneous Planning and Design

 

Healthcare Public Spaces and the Power of Design
by John Pangrazio, FAIA,FACHA
ACHA Newsletter Fall 2007
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/NBBJPublic_spaces_article2.pdf

Old Structure, New Life
Healthcare Construction and Operations Sept/Oct 2004
http://www.healthcarefacility.net/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type...
What happens when a building becomes outdated and has outlived its usefulness? Adaptive reuse is a common practice in the building industry, but less so when it comes to the health care sector.

Green Guide for Health Care Provides Framework for Healthy Building
by BY ROBIN GUENTHER, AIA
Healthcare Design Healthcare Design March 2005, Volume 5 No. 1
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Past_Issues.htm?ID=4011
More than 160 strategies define a new age of “high-performance healing environments,” according to the Green Guide for Health Care™ Version 2.0 . A discussion of the first quantifiable sustainable-design tool kit for hospitals.

Art of the Possible – The First LEED Certified Healthcare Facility
by Ken Shulman
Metropolis October 2003
http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_1003/dis/index.html
A new ambulatory care clinic seeks to become the nations first LEED-certifies healthcare facility.

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Resources for Nursing Units

 

Nursing Stations at the Patient's Door
by Linda Berger Spivack, Lee Galuska and Chris Bormann
Hospitals & Health Networks June, 2004
http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=AHA/PubsNews...
Technology-ready workstations between patient rooms are expected to increase nurses' productivity, reduce errors and improve customer satisfaction.

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Resources for Clinical and Interventional Services

 

Circling Toward Privacy
by Karen Nelly
Healthcare Design November 2003
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Past_Issues.htm?ID=2926

Healthcare Review
by Naresh Mathur
Healthcare Review, Volume 14; Issue 8
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Healthcare_Review.pdf

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Resources for Diagnostic and Testing

 

A "Lean" Laboratory
by by Matthew Herasuta, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH
Herasuta M. A “Lean” Laboratory. LabMedicine. 2007;38:173-144.
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Lean_Lab.pdf
Applying "lean" thinking to the health care laboratory can cut waste and streamline the work environment without compromising safety.

A Practical Guide to Planning for the Future Chapter 7
by Jon Huddy
ACEP
http://www2.acep.org/library/pdf/edDesignCh07.pdf
"This book is a must for those even contemplating a project. The descriptions of planning and process, easily reproducible checklists, an early focus on the critical need for medical director leadership, as well as its overall straightforward delivery of valuable information, make this book essential." —Annals of Emergency Medicine, May 2003. To purchase this book go to http://www2.acep.org/bookstore/index.cfm?go=product.detail&id=10039

Process-Improvement Methods mean Best Practice Performance
by Rick Panning
Medical Laboratory Observer May 2006
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Di450_0610231022.pdf

A New Rx for Emergency Room Design
by By ROBERT LOBER
A & E Perspectives November 18, 2004
http://www.djc.com/news/ae/11163008.html
Increased visits are prompting changes for more visibility, flexibility and efficiencies in emergency department design.

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Resources for Support Services

 

A Recipe for Foodservice Renewal: The hospital cafeteria is undergoing an extreme makeover worthy of its own reality show. That's food for thought
by Jay W. Schneider
HealthCareFacility.net Healthcare Construction & Operations Sept/Oct 2005
http://www.healthcarefacility.net/index.cfm?do=otm2&otm_id=106
Foodservice is a very strong image-maker that can directly affect hospital satisfaction scores as well as being a source of revenue. What are today's hospitals doing to make the cafeteria environments more appealing?

Interior design Not ‘just colors’ anymore :
by Judy Klich, IIDA, and Ben Bahil
Healthcare Design Magazine Healthcare Design May 2005, Volume 5 No. 2
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Past_Issues.htm?ID=4149
More than 160 strategies define a new age of “high-performance healing environments,” according to the Green Guide for Health Care™ Version 2.0 . A discussion of the first quantifiable sustainable-design tool kit for hospitals.

The Patient Room
by Dagmara Scalise, Terese Hudson Thrall, Richard Haught and Lee Ann Runy
Hospitals & Health Networks Posted online Monday, May 17, 2004
http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag/hospitalconnect/search/article.jsp?dcrpath=...

Developing a Master Plan for Hospital Interiors
by Gary Bell
Health Facilities Management February 10, 2004
http://www.hfmmagazine.com/hfmmagazine/hospitalconnect/search/article.js...

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Resources for Wayfinding

 

Signage Is Communication, And Takes Much Careful Planning
by Randy Cooper and Roger Smith
Healthcare Design November 2003
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Past_Issues.htm?ID=2925

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Resources for Healing Environments

 

Pebble Project Turns Five: A Look Back, a Look Ahead
by Sara O. Marberry
Healthcare Design September 2005
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Past_Issues.htm?ID=4634
Early findings and continued goals from The Center for Health Design’s project participants.

Healing by Design
by By John Leighty
April 23, 2003
http://www.nurseweek.com/news/features/03-04/unitfuture.asp
RN architects draw from their experiences on the floor to design warm, efficient environments for nurses that reduce stress and replenish the spirit - and for patients to heal in comfort

Design Matters in Healthcare Facilities, and the Pebble Project has the Stats to Prove It
by Heather Livingston
04/2004
http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek04/tw0416/0416pebble.htm

Patient Centered Healing
by Jeff Stouffer, AIA
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Patient-Centered_Healing.pdf
From the parking lot to the patient room, stress reduction by means of facility design is an important element that can contribute to the healing process. A human centered environment has been proven to benefit both the healing process and the bottom line.

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Resources for Imaging and Surgery

 

Architecture & Design Imaging Evolution: Meeting the department's changing design requirements
by By Bill Rostenberg, FAIA, FACHA, and Morris Stein, FAIA, FACHA
hospitalconnect.com March, 2003 issue of health Facilities Management
http://www.hfmmagazine.com/hfmmagazine/hospitalconnect/search/article.js...
For those faced with the challenge of implementing digital imaging operations, it is necessary to understand how facility requirements for these systems differ from those of their film-based predecessors because these differences affect not only the details of how the department is designed, but they also influence design of the entire health care network within which imaging permeates.

The Future of Imaging: Super-strong CT scanners and MRI machines are all the rage, but they’re quickly being outdated by smaller, cheaper and smarter technologies.
by David Ellis
hospitalconnect.com September 14, 2005
http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag/hospitalconnect/search/article.jsp?dcrpath=...
With health care increasingly driven by markets, consumers and technology, the more or less expensive--yet all very powerful--imaging technologies described here are likely to proliferate in hospitals, freestanding imaging centers and doctors’ offices.

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Resources for General and Patient Care

 

Technology Challenge: What Can Trilliant Do For You?
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/SFHH_Full_Article.doc
Trilliant explores new technology.

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Resources for Project Delivery and Management Issues

 

Design teamwork from day one: Getting owners, designers, and builders at the planning table from the start gets results
by Bonnie Walker AIA Artwork by HGA Architects and Engineers
Healthcare Design July 2006
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Past_Issues.htm?ID=5266

All In The Timing: Project team overcomes challenges and maintains fast-track schedule
by Amy Eagle
hospitalconnect.com This article 1st appeared in the July 2005 issue of Health Facilities Management Magazine
http://www.hospitalconnect.com/hfmmagazine/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpat...
How a tropical storm during schematic design affected project planning and design. And how the project was completed in half the time of an average project of this size.

Playing it safe: Keys to reducing construction risks
by LOUIS JANTZEN, PE, PROJECT DIRECTOR, CG SCHMIDT CONSTRUCTION, MILWAUKEE
Healthcare Design Magazine Healthcare Design July 2005, Volume 5 No. 3
http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/Current_Issue.htm?ID=4261
Embarking on a major construction project can be exciting, but the project’s success will be determined by how well risks are controlled. Find out the four measures for reducing the risks in the construction of healthcare projects .

Towards an Integrated Project Closeout Approach
by Doug King, VOA Associates Incorporated
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Nov_2004_Project_Closeout_Artic...
The author presents a methodology for an integrated approach to project close-out.

A Loss Cause
by James B. Atkins, AIA and Grant B. Simpson, FAIA
AIArchitect 07/2004
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/A_Loss_Cause.pdf

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Resources for Codes and Regulatory Issues

 

Preventing Prescription Errors:Health care providers face new standards when dealing with sound-alike drugs
by Alexa K. Apallas
Healthcare Construction and Operations May/June 2005
http://www.healthcarefacility.net/index.cfm?do=otm2&otm_id=97
With JCAHO cracking down on medication errors, some hospitals are taking their recommendations one step further by using electronic barcode systems to help reduce the incidence of prescription error. Installing a barcode system at every patient bedside can drive the cost up, but the costs may be worth it since barcodes can really help reduce any mix-ups with look-alike or sound-alike drugs.

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Resources for Building Materials and Systems

 

No resources currently available.

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Resources for Client Relations

 

No resources currently available.

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Resources for New Trends in Healthcare

 

“Planning & Design Strategies for the Hospital of the Future” (ACHE, VHA-TV)
by Don McKahan, AIA, FACHA and Joan Saba, AIA, FACHA
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Designing_Hospital_of_Future,_S...
This ACHA educational program was presented to the American College of Healthcare Executives on VHA-TV, Sept 27, 2006. The program explores and explains the newest trends in health facility planning and design. ACHA healthcare architects, Joan Saba, AIA, FACHA and Don McKahan , AIA, FACHA, take you on a “virtual tour” of innovative hospitals employing the latest ideas in evidence-based design, advanced departmental planning, and new design concepts to create a more efficient and hospitable-hospital.

Emerging Trends & Successful Strategies for the Planning & Design of Healthcare Facilities
by Don McKahan, Frank Pitts, Joan Saba, D. Kirk Hamilton, Morris Stein and Bill Rostenberg
ACHE 2006 April 2006
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/ACHE_Presentation_Part_1_Lesson...
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/ACHE_Presentation_Part_2_Eviden...
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/ACHE_Presentation_Part_3_Imagin...
This ACHA Seminar was presented at the 2006 Congress of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). The presentation covers: Strategic Lessons Learned from Groundbreaking Hospitals; Evidence Based Design for Healthcare Facilities; Trends in Imaging impacting Health Facility Planning. This is a 3-part, PDF copy of the original slide presentation.

Trends in Critical Care Planning and Design
by Health Facilities Management
hospitalconnect.com January 2004
http://www.hfmmagazine.com/hfmmagazine/hospitalconnect/search/article.js...
To examine trends in critical care design, Health Forum and the American College of Healthcare Architects convened a group of architects and their health care clients. The Health Facilities Management Executive Dialogue Series brings you frank discussion of issues and ideas by health care executives and industry experts focused on challenges facing the industry.

Design for Success
Healthcare Financial Management November 2003
http://www.healthdesign.org/resources/pubs/articles/pdfs/hfm_spec_sectio...

Behind the Healthcare Boom
by Craig Beale, FAIA, FACHA, RIBA, CHE, CHC
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Behind_the_HealthCare_Boom.pdf
A summary of factors influencing the continuing boom in healthcare construction across the nation, citing specific examples at various facilities.

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Resources for Miscellaneous Topics

 

Doug Hawthorne speech from 2007 ACHA Luncheon
by Doug Hawthorne
11/04/2007
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/ACHA_Lunch_Speech_Doug_Hawthorn...
ACHA’s annual member-luncheon program feature a presentation by renowned healthcare leader Douglas Hawthorne, president and chief executive officer of Texas Health Resources, one of the largest health systems in Texas. Doug Hawthorne oversees a network of 12 acute-care hospitals, a continued care hospital, fitness centers, psychiatric/addiction treatment facilities, extended care and long-term care facilities, and a medical research organization. Doug Hawthorne's has been selected as Modern Healthcare magazine's “100 Most Powerful People in Health Care”, also receiving the Texas Hospital Association Trustee Award in 2004, receiving the American College of Healthcare Executives 2002 Gold Medal Award.

Strategies in Capital Finance - Capital Growth Versus Capital Preservation
by Cain Brothers
http://www.healtharchitects.org/uploaded/Strategies_in_Capital_Finance.p...
This paper provides an overview of the current financial markets as they impact healthcare organizations. Its intent is to assist in the educational process for Trustees and financial executives.

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