To increase their Level I trauma center and expand inpatient care, the University of Virginia Health System needed a multi-phased expansion and renovation on their urban campus. With a project of this size, clear communication and collaboration was critical. The University Hospital expansion team sought the latest technology to provide solutions and allow the end users to play a role in the design process. Presenters will examine the collaborative approach through technology, focusing on construction and related design processes.

Learning Objectives:

1.) Discover the benefits of each tool and how it can affect a project’s budget and schedule.

2.) Encounter solutions to help minimize disruptions to hospital operations during construction.

3.) Identify which factors to consider when making the decision to use technology.

4.) Identify best practices when using each technology and apply lessons learned.

We all have the power to make changes to the codes we must follow. Now that CMS has adopted NFPA 99, the health care environment is changing dramatically. NFPA 99 is a risk-based document applied to projects much differently than other codes. Application to health care emergency power systems has been confusing and misapplied for decades. This session will clarify the essential electrical system, streamline the codes, and explain how these systems rely on decisions made throughout the hospital.

Learning Objectives:

1.) Clarify the overall differences between the basic emergency power standby systems and health care essential electrical systems and how these systems affect planning design and construction.

2.) Discuss ASHE’s goal to unify NFPA 110, 101, 70, and 99 and use other codes as references to provide clarity to health care electrical distribution systems.

3.) Discuss the requirements of an emergency preparedness plan and how it affects the physical environment and design decisions.

4.) Clarify essential systems requirements.

Mental and behavioral health facilities are among the last health specializations to be addressed systematically by design and research communities. Recent publications have drawn attention to the issues associated with providing therapeutic and supportive environments. Representatives of health care design firms and academic researchers will introduce trends and findings and then the panel will discuss basic concepts. The presenters will also survey the audience regarding their perceptions of the most critical factors in mental and behavioral health facility design.

Learning Objectives:

1.) Discover the most pressing design issues related to mental and behavioral health facilities.

2.) Encounter the most recent research related to the design of mental and behavioral health facilities.

3.) Identify potential impacts of the indoor and outdoor physical environment on patient outcomes.

4.) Discover future trends in psychiatric facilities.

In order to accurately represent their district or state on a variety of issues, elected officials rely on thorough staff work, outside expertise and, most importantly, constituent input. Legislators need and want to hear from you. This session will provide foundational information on becoming an effective advocate, including an update on the pressing issues facing Congress and policymakers, how the November midterm elections might impact hospitals and health systems, best practices for establishing and nurturing relationships with elected officials, and how to share your organization’s story for maximum effect.

Learning Objectives:

1.) Understand contemporary elected officials’ impact on professional and health care fields.

2.) Explore current and historic political influences on elected officials’ actions and the elections that select these officials, and how that impacts the hospital and health care field.

3.) Identify important items to discuss with elected officials in specific areas of legislation and regulation that impact the health care field.

4.) Establish short- and long-term relationships with elected officials and staff, including positioning as a field expert and trusted source of information.

This session focuses on major infrastructure components including heating systems, power, chilled water, and IT in the development of a resilient infrastructure network. The presenters discuss the pros and cons associated with flood proofing measures and share key resiliency strategies from the design and implementation process. The project’s design takes into account long-term strategic growth, increases in infrastructure resiliency , and a design process that integrates plant operations in the concept planning stages to ensure project resiliency goals are achieved.

Learning Objectives:

1.) Identify MEP infrastructure vulnerabilities.

2.) Balance programmatic need against infrastructure resiliency.

3.) Discover collaborative and integrative planning initiatives.

4.) Ensure continuity of service for continuous patient care operation.

Physical design of a care environment can have a significant effect on clinical workflows and patient and staff experience. The redesign of Yale New Haven’s care processes and supporting technologies for its new NNICU was subjected to a compressed timeline, and the team collaborated with NNICU and IT staff to redesign care processes and design, implement, extensively test, and train a suite of clinical communication tools. The interactive session will guide leaders looking to implement design methodology and supporting technology.

Learning Objectives:

1.) Identify the methodologies for driving clinical staff engagement in complex workflow redesign.

2.) Foster collaboration between IT, clinical engineering, construction, and clinical users.

3.) Provide incremental, early access to new/renovated facilities to support in-unit end user training & communication system testing.

4.) Design a high-impact change management plan to create buy-in, increase end user satisfaction, increase adoption, and drive ROI.

Sustainable and wellness strategy implementation in complex health care environments comes with inherent challenges. This session will focus on staff and patient wellness as well as owner and collaborator integration with Green Globes, the green building standard and rating system developed by the Green Building Initiative. A case study of the new UF Health Heart Vascular and Neuromedicine Hospitals will also be presented as an example of innovative thought leadership toward sustainability and improving the human experience.

Learning Objectives:

1.) Identify the challenges and strategies associated with balancing the implementation of sustainability and wellness measures on a highly complex health care project.

2.) Assess innovative collaboration models between the owner and utility as well as the owner and design/delivery teams.

3.) Evaluate the tools that can inform design decisions aimed at balancing environmental impact, occupant wellness, and clinical purpose.

4.) Elucidate strategies for practical implementation of the Green Globes standard and rating system.

During the design of the ED for a replacement facility, the design team worked consistently with a multidisciplinary team of ED staff, using lean tools and strategies to understand existing conditions and provide opportunities for improvement in operations. This session will describe step by step how the design team engaged the multidisciplinary ED team in a collaborative manner and share the decisions that were made in the process. Preliminary findings of operational changes resulting from the findings will be unveiled.

Learning Objectives:

1.) Engage a cross functional team of stakeholders in a collaborative manner through process-led design.

2.) Use lean and evidence-based design together to inform design decisions.

3.) Describe and share tools and guidelines utilized to engage client in the decision-making process.

4.) Share preliminary results of operational changes in the existing ED.

The first activity in Total Project Alignment is to ensure the executive team has accurate documentation that properly describes their current investment in facilities. The model should include data-supported recommendations to make informed decisions regarding investment in new facilities, capital renewal, and deferred maintenance. A current model ensures that the executive team will be able to evaluate future investment opportunities to align with business strategies.

Learning Objectives:

1.) Describe the role of data analytics in the Total Project Alignment model.

2.) Identify the value achieved from the model in executive decision making.

3.)  Explain the advantages during risk/reward conversations for facility investment.

4.) Evaluate the outcomes from implementation of data analytics in a state-wide facilities model.

Recent editions of NFPA 101: The Life Safety Code® and the International Building Code® have expanded opportunities to use suites in both new and existing construction. However, many facilities and designers still do not use suites to their full advantage. In this session, the changes and updates to suite requirements will be outlined and potential risks discussed. Newly constructed facilities that have not employed suites will be examined to determine how the design could have been modified to include suites.

Learning Objectives:

1.) List the advantages of suites for a health care facility.

2.) Identify the differences in suite requirements between NFPA and ICC codes.

3.) Assess potential facility layouts to determine if creating suites is feasible.

4.) Describe the challenges creating a suite can pose on a facility.