There is no alternative to providing citizens with healthcare services and government leaders are searching for ways to upgrade, modernize and expand existing facilities while constructing new ones. The country’s healthcare infrastructure has definitely attracted national attention and that will stimulate demand for construction services significantly in the next few years. Construction with any healthcare facility is an important step forward. Globally there are needs that must be met that fall in line with what is required to service patients. There are many different construction needs from precision Coded Welding to finding the correct type of insulation for the ceilings, all of this must be put through a management board and researched before anything begins.

Some of the upcoming construction opportunities are huge. The city of Duluth in Minnesota has announced a medical infrastructure project that will likely represent an investment of more than $1.8 billion. City and government leaders will have some public funding but private investment will be required. A public-private partnership will upgrade medical facilities throughout the area.

As the demand for construction increases though, it is obvious that healthcare construction will change. There will definitely be new considerations and construction firms monitoring trends and needs will have a competitive advantage as construction opportunities increase.

Medical procedures and practices have evolved dramatically over the past decade. Leading-edge technology, research and training spaces will be required in all healthcare facilities. Digital record-keeping, network security, data analysis and cloud storage planning will be required. New servers, routers and cooling systems will have to be accommodated as construction plans are developed. Old hospitals and clinics that cannot be replaced will need to be redesigned and configured for technology requirements. Public facilities that require immediate attention are likely to need private-sector funding. That means that construction firms that understand public-private partnerships will benefit.

And, because so many hospitals have been impacted by storms in the past decade, resiliency will be a major consideration in new construction. Massachusetts General Hospital has announced that its $1 billion expansion will be designed to serve staff and patients following any types of future disasters. The construction that will occur there will also be funded in large part by private-sector investors.

A survey conducted by the American Society for Healthcare Engineering found that 89 percent of hospital facility professionals consider resiliency, such as ability to withstand natural disasters and power outages, one of the most critical components in the design of new healthcare facilities.

In many parts of the U.S., population growth is impacting healthcare systems and networks to the point that adjacent facilities are required. Because many hospitals must release patients quicker because of overload and insurance requirements, a demand for short-term rehabilitation facilities, day surgery clinics and urgent care locations has emerged.

The city of Pullman, Wash., is preparing to ask residents to approve funding for Pullman Regional Hospital’s proposed upgrades. A bond package will include construction of a community health facility, redesign and upgrade of the city’s regional hospital, implementation of a communitywide electronic personal health record system and a number of other smaller projects. The election will be held in April and if it passes, construction would break ground shortly after that. The city hopes to complete the project by 2021.

The University of California, San Francisco’s Medical Center has also announced an upcoming opportunity for design and construction services. Builders and those in the construction industry are soon to be employed, those with appropriate certificates such as forklift training. As the university expands and adds new programs and enhances existing programs, construction is required. The opening of the school’s Precision Cancer Medical Building is creating even more needs and construction firms interested in pursuing construction opportunities should know that preparation for services is underway now.

The University of Texas at Austin will soon select a construction manager-at-risk (CMAR) for the redesign of the Austin State Hospital. The new Austin State Hospital Brain Health Campus, which could cost up to $300 million, will include a new 240-bed hospital building as well as site development, support buildings and infrastructure improvements. Subcontractor opportunities could be advertised as early as the third quarter of 2019.

Research facilities on university campuses are expanding throughout the country. Many schools are affiliating with private-sector hospital chains and research capabilities make any university more attractive to private-sector investors and partners. Cancer research and treatment facilities are available in every state and research programs focusing on the brain and brain injuries are becoming prolific also. Research facilities will require construction to expand and upgrade in the immediate future.

Officials at the University of California, Davis Health (UCDH) have announced construction plans. A firm to design and construct renovations in the Ambulatory Care Center of the university’s Ellison Building will be selected soon. The teaching hospital will consolidate several clinical practices and bring them into the building. UCDH has said it wants to deliver the project using the Progressive Design-Build model for phased renovation of the four-story, 375,000-square-foot building.

To summarize – healthcare construction demands are spiraling upward significantly and companies are advised to monitor healthcare needs and changes that will be required very carefully.

Mary Scott Nabers is president and CEO of Strategic Partnerships Inc., a business development company specializing in government contracting and procurement consulting throughout the U.S. Her recently released book, Inside the Infrastructure Revolution: A Roadmap for Building America, is a handbook for contractors, investors and the public at large seeking to explore how public-private partnerships or joint ventures can help finance their infrastructure projects.

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There have been recent studies and articles comparing productivity changes in the architecture-engineering-construction (AEC) industry versus other fields. The general conclusions are that every industry has seen an increase in efficiency and productivity except for AEC.  Many experts agree the silos that exist between architects, contractors and subcontractors are the primary cause.

Exacerbating the situation is the shortage of skilled labor and craftsmen. Between 2008 and 2012, an estimated two million jobs were eliminated from the construction industry.  At least 50 percent of that workforce did not return, resulting in a shortage of labor and creating an environment of uncertainty and unpredictability.

Industry experts believe the healthcare sector suffered most because healthcare facilities are more complex than other building types and require a higher level of skill in those positions.

To overcome these obstacles, healthcare architects, contractors and owners are shifting their paradigm and increasingly moving towards prefabricated modular buildings. The industry’s willingness to do this is changing how buildings are delivered in seven specific ways.

EARLY TEAM SELECTION

To efficiently deliver prefabrication, input from architects, contractors and subcontractors is needed earlier in the process. For this to happen, the traditional method of hiring an architect first, then a contractor, and finally subcontractors does not work. The entire team needs to be at the table when concepts are in development. Collaboration like this is a foreign concept to many owners, and not all will be comfortable with this approach.

THE ELIMINATION OF SILOS

For prefabrication to be successful, architects, contractors, subcontractors and owners must collaborate and engage more frequently with each other than they have in the past.  The need for early information forces teams and owners to work together to solve problems that were traditionally “thrown over the fence” from one group to the other. You must have co-location of the consultants and the use of a “Big Room” to help with team communication and alignment.

EARLY DECISION MAKING

Prefabrication expedites the decision-making process. Compared to traditionally built process, prefabricated elements like patient room configurations, materials and finishes are designed and determined earlier in the process to ensure installation is on schedule. Early decision making causes an increase in the use of virtual reality and physical mockups, allowing owners and architects to have more confidence in their decisions and helps contractors establish budgets sooner.

BETTER BUILDING INFORMATION MODELS

Prefabrication requires architects and consultants to maintain better Building Information Models (BIM) because subcontractor trades need a model to fabricate components.  As a result, teams must become invested in the creation of models. Additionally, the increased complexity of modeling mandates the use of faster computers and high bandwidth communication platforms.

MODULAR DESIGNS AND STANDARDIZATION

Prefabrication is most efficient when components are standardized around modular configurations.  Pragmatic departmental plans focused on operational efficiency will become the standard, helping lessen the complexity of the Building Information Model and eliminating costly customization.  Other advantages of standardization are quality control, reductions in waste and cost control.

INDUSTRY INTEGRATION

Because consultants and trades collaborate early to deliver prefabricated projects, we will see more consolidation in the form of mergers and acquisitions of industry partners.  This is already happening with design and construction firms, but soon more firms will have MEP consultants, equipment planners and major trade partners. This integration will allow the industry to have a better appreciation of what it takes to successfully deliver a healthcare project, and help architects to become the master builders they once were.

A NEW CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE

As the industry moves toward prefabrication, new companies like BLOX, Pivotek, and Factory Blue, are being hired to fabricate components for healthcare projects. These companies are changing the construction landscape and perceptions of the typical worker. For example, they are bringing in new pools of talent who had no prior interest in construction. Unlike traditional construction, prefabrication occurs in the same place every day during traditional office hours. Additionally, these new companies can help reestablish vocational training and create a new workforce of craftsmen.

Prefabrication improves efficiency because it helps accelerate schedules and wastes less material. Repetitive processes lead to consistency and fewer mistakes, resulting in better, more consistent quality. If you are a decision maker in a hospital or leading a healthcare construction job, consider how the benefits of prefabrication can improve your next project.

Mark D. Johnson serves as director of healthcare at Beck Group.

The post How Prefabrication is Changing Healthcare Construction and Design appeared first on HCO News.

“This will complete the original master facility plan that the County Board approved in 2007 when we recognized the need to update medical center facilities,” said Mike Opat, chair of the Hennepin County Board and member of the health care system’s board of directors, in a statement. “The rest of the original plan, including replacing all of the intensive care units in the hospital and opening the Whittier Clinic, has been completed. Now it’s time to address the need for a new clinic and specialty center downtown.”

The plans were prompted by a recent study that suggested the current medical facilities would not be able to support the growing community by 2017. The newest buildings currently at the medical center were built in the 1970s. The aging buildings are also spread across nine different buildings. The new expansion will unify services to benefit both patients and medical staff.

“This will be a centerpiece of our downtown campus and, more importantly, enable us to provide quality care to our current and expanding patient base efficiently and effectively,” said Sharon Sayles Belton, chair of the Hennepin Healthcare System’s board of directors, in a statement. “HCMC has been a good neighbor, major employer, and community partner in the Elliot Park neighborhood for more than 40 years, and with this project, we will participate in the continued transformation of the east side of downtown Minneapolis.”

The new building will be in close proximity to the Wells Fargo office and residential development that will break ground in May and the new Vikings stadium that will open in 2016. The expansion is set to better accommodate the burgeoning downtown.

“Our hospital and clinic system today has all of the services and specialties to provide care to people who live and work downtown, but we lack the convenience of having that care centralized and accessible for people who need a quick visit to their doctor, with close parking and skyway access,” said Scott Wordelman, vice president of ambulatory care, in a statement. “Our specialty services in the new building will be convenient if you are coming from outside of downtown, and will feature the kind of care, access and amenities that will make it an exceptional experience for our patients. With the recent growth of our neighborhood clinic system in Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin County, we are seeing more patients come downtown for specialty care and this new facility will serve them well.”

The project is expected to debut in 2016.

The post Hennepin County Medical Center Announces Large-Scale Expansion appeared first on HCO News.

“This will complete the original master facility plan that the County Board approved in 2007 when we recognized the need to update medical center facilities,” said Mike Opat, chair of the Hennepin County Board and member of the health care system’s board of directors, in a statement. “The rest of the original plan, including replacing all of the intensive care units in the hospital and opening the Whittier Clinic, has been completed. Now it’s time to address the need for a new clinic and specialty center downtown.”

The plans were prompted by a recent study that suggested the current medical facilities would not be able to support the growing community by 2017. The newest buildings currently at the medical center were in built in the 1970s. The aging buildings are also spread across nine different buildings. The new expansion will unify services to benefit both patients and medical staff.

“This will be a centerpiece of our downtown campus and, more importantly, enable us to provide quality care to our current and expanding patient base efficiently and effectively,” said Sharon Sayles Belton, chair of the Hennepin Healthcare System’s board of directors, in a statement. “HCMC has been a good neighbor, major employer, and community partner in the Elliot Park neighborhood for more than 40 years and with this project we will participate in the continued transformation of the east side of downtown Minneapolis.”

The new building will be in close proximity to the Wells Fargo office and residential development that will break ground in May and the new Vikings stadium that will open in 2016. The expansion is set to better accommodate the burgeoning downtown.

“Our hospital and clinic system today has all of the services and specialties to provide care to people who live and work downtown, but we lack the convenience of having that care centralized and accessible for people who need a quick visit to their doctor, with close parking and skyway access,” said Scott Wordelman, vice president of ambulatory care, in a statement. “Our specialty services in the new building will be convenient if you are coming from outside of downtown, and will feature the kind of care, access, and amenities that will make it an exceptional experience for our patients. With the recent growth of our neighborhood clinic system in Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin County, we are seeing more patients come downtown for specialty care and this new facility will serve them well.”

The project is expected to open in 2016.

The post Hennepin County Medical Center Announces Expansion Plans appeared first on HCO News.