HCS/529
Past, Present, and Future of Facility Design
University of Phoenix
HCS/529
Past, Present, and Future of Facility Design
“The design of a facility, including its technology and equipment, creates a physical
environment in which caregivers provide services” (Reiling, 2006). Health care administrators
are responsible for ensuring that their facilities are built for sustainability. Whether constructing a
new facility or renovation an existing one, it is important to acquire the best technology,
equipment, and design elements to support the sustainability of any facility in the future. In
addition, health care administrators must keep their communities in mind when building these
sustainable facilities to address the communities’ needs. Over the years, healthcare trends such as
Planetree and Facilities Guidelines Institute, have had an impact on facility design.
Trends
1980s
In the 1980s, there were three major trends that occurred. First, “in the early 1980s, a
major reformation of healthcare services occurred with the adoption of the Diagnostic Related
Group (DRG) method of medical reimbursement” (admin, 2009). Due to this change, many
procedures were eliminated at hospitals and sent to outpatient settings because the change
limited the amount of monies hospitals were reimbursed for patient diagnosis. Some patients
stayed in the hospital because they were tremendously ill, but their rooms became inadequate for
providing care. Second, healthcare saw an increase in technological advancement with the
implementation of MRI, PET, CT scans, and other patient room technologies. Unfortunately,
space in these rooms was inadequate and there were few electrical outlets to handle the medical
Past, Present, and Future of Facility Design
University of Phoenix
HCS/529
Past, Present, and Future of Facility Design
“The design of a facility, including its technology and equipment, creates a physical
environment in which caregivers provide services” (Reiling, 2006). Health care administrators
are responsible for ensuring that their facilities are built for sustainability. Whether constructing a
new facility or renovation an existing one, it is important to acquire the best technology,
equipment, and design elements to support the sustainability of any facility in the future. In
addition, health care administrators must keep their communities in mind when building these
sustainable facilities to address the communities’ needs. Over the years, healthcare trends such as
Planetree and Facilities Guidelines Institute, have had an impact on facility design.
Trends
1980s
In the 1980s, there were three major trends that occurred. First, “in the early 1980s, a
major reformation of healthcare services occurred with the adoption of the Diagnostic Related
Group (DRG) method of medical reimbursement” (admin, 2009). Due to this change, many
procedures were eliminated at hospitals and sent to outpatient settings because the change
limited the amount of monies hospitals were reimbursed for patient diagnosis. Some patients
stayed in the hospital because they were tremendously ill, but their rooms became inadequate for
providing care. Second, healthcare saw an increase in technological advancement with the
implementation of MRI, PET, CT scans, and other patient room technologies. Unfortunately,
space in these rooms was inadequate and there were few electrical outlets to handle the medical
