Hospitals of the Future

http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/214959/topic/WS_HLM2_MAG/The-H...

Interesting article about hospitals breaking out of the traditional provider mold. The catch is that few hospitals get a completely blank slate to toss out everything and start over. Not every organization has funds to turn a lobby into a feng shui haven, obviously. But it has some good ideas for those looking to re-organize existing programs.

Take for instance the “organizational liaison.” The idea of a person who escorts patients right where they need to be is a smaller change that is relatively simple to help the admitting desk. Not to mention, it’s one that patients will appreciate and probably buzz about right away.

And what about re-designing signage? It’s a smaller investment than knocking down walls, and can help big hospitals stay more organized. Any marketing guru will tell you that subtle changes in wording can make all the difference, and these patient-centric hospitals put it to use.

Another useful concept, albeit much more complicated to implement, is the patient “agenda” as described at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This system helps with internal organization, and probably makes patients feel like they have a better understanding of the steps involved in their care. They will act more like the savvy consumers they are becoming instead of patients at the mercy of hospital backlog.

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