While most commercial construction projects are designed and built with a functional purpose in mind, health care facilities take that need for functionality to a whole new level. In addition to maintaining laser-like focus on the health facility’s safety and regulatory concerns, industry experts have also taken a hard look at how health facility design impacts outcomes like staff retention, patient satisfaction, and other metrics important to increasing market share. All of these factors put even more pressure and attention on aesthetics, form, and building functionality.

When building, or more commonly remodeling, a health care facility in West Palm Beach or Broward County, budgets are a big consideration. Pressure is mounting on all sides to reduce costs and shorten timelines while still maintaining the highest standards of quality and service in the midst of construction. When constructing health facilities, there is no room for delays. This is why it’s essential to hire a General Contractor with experience working with AHCA guidelines to ensure your project passes each AHCA inspection.

Here are a few other driving forces in health facility renovations today.

Flexibility in design and build

The pace at which technology and care needs change in the health industry outpaces most other commercial build-outs, which leads to one of the key differences in how we approach healthcare facility renovations. Hospitals and other health facilities need adequate and efficient space to evolve with changing technologies and staff and patient needs.

For example, there has been a recent trend towards using seated bathing systems for wheelchair-bound patients as they provide a much better (and much less embarrassing) experience. The challenge is that they require more space than was previously needed for the same process, and that needs to be incorporated into the spacing needs of many medical facility remodels. At the same time, nursing stations’ spatial needs have shrunk due to technology.

If the build becomes too rigid or communication breaks down during the project, the renovation may lessen the importance of adaptability and risk becoming obsolete sooner rather than later due to changing needs.

Environmental considerations

Sustainable design and the green movement is impacting healthcare as well with major concerns revolving around water and energy conservation, waste reduction, and improving safety standards with reduced chemical use. This also includes monitoring aspects of construction itself particularly when it comes to infection control, use of hazardous materials, and following effective clean-up procedures.

Staying on top of the health care facility design trends and facility needs is critical to being able to flex and provide quality construction services to meet those evolving needs. More importantly is being able to deliver results on time and on budget. At Seacoast Construction, we do both and are proud to serve the West Palm Beach and Broward County community health facility needs. Give us a call today at 786-433-8740 to discuss your next project.