Your facilities are one of your healthcare institution's most visible physical assets. So, why wouldn't you want Healthcare Facilities Improvements to improve operational efficiency?

The Healthcare industry is one of the most innovative sectors that is currently in a period of rapid advancement. So the Intellis executive team spent last week meeting leaders at the annual HIMSS conference, a pivotal health IT event held in Orlando, which brings together over 45,000 health IT professionals, clinicians, executives, vendors, and patient advocates from around the world.

Major transformation is happening in the Healthcare industry. Market dynamics, health system consolidation, mergers and acquisitions, payment reform, technological advances, and changes to the delivery of care are all re-shaping the way the healthcare industry functions. The Healthcare industry is going through a period of rapid advancement. Increasingly healthcare organizations are delivering patient care and facilities management in new ways. As the healthcare industry continues to shift toward value-based population health, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) continue to accelerate. This is creating mega-sized, nontraditional health systems. Meanwhile, the industry continues to grapple with rigid compliance regulation, pressure to enhance the patient experience, improve financial performance, and increase everyday efficiencies.

Compliance is a critical concern in every aspect of the healthcare industry, and in particular, in the maintenance of facilities. When accrediting organizations, like The Joint Commission, arrive onsite for surveys, they examine everything and anything that impacts patient care and that includes facilities-related elements such as cleanliness, clearly marked and accessible exits, the facility's ability to minimize the effects of smoke and heat, safety equipment maintenance and so much more. Every day of the year, healthcare facilities management teams must be proactive about these compliance concerns. Once an inspection or survey is underway, it’s already too late to address facilities-related deficiencies.

Major transformation is underway in the healthcare sector.

Facility managers in the healthcare sector are tasked with a myriad of constraints—from ageing infrastructure to staying compliant amidst constant changes to health and safety regulations to shrinking budgets. Therefore it is critical to know how every building, physical asset and system in your care is performing as well as where there are opportunities for facility optimization.

Now more than ever, patients have become more like consumers, and medical purchasing power has shifted from providers and insurers to the individual. This change has created a unique marketplace for healthcare services, which places a heightened emphasis on patient care as well as the physical environment's role in patient perception of the quality of care offered.

The face of healthcare facilities has shifted massively in the 21st century - with even greater changes happening in recent years. Major trends are transforming how healthcare organizations deliver patient care and manage facilities. And as the healthcare industry shifts toward value-based population health, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) continue to accelerate, creating mega-sized, nontraditional health systems. Meanwhile, the industry continues to grapple with rigid compliance regulation and increasing costs. As a disruptor in the field of capital planning, facilities management, and the built environment, we know the value of staying on top of developing issues. Here we discuss the top 3 trends impacting healthcare facilities management now:

Climate change has become one of the greatest concerns of our time, especially for those who manage hospitals and healthcare physical assets and infrastructure. Designing buildings that are truly sustainable and resilient means taking into account the potential side effects of climate change.