Waiting in Style and Comfort

Who likes to wait for a healthcare provider?  Whether it is 5 minutes or the dreaded hour, it’s nobody’s favorite thing.  Fortunately, hospitals and other medical care facilities are starting to realize that the design of the waiting room can help people to feel more “comfortable, appreciated and valued.”

The following article was recently published in Healthcare Design Magazine regarding this welcome change.  To read the entire article, click here.

Reliant Medical Group’s ReadyMED walk-in medical care clinic in central Massachusetts. Photo credit: Warren Patterson Photography

 

Waiting Rooms: How To Design To Impress

The patient experience is taking on a whole new level of importance for providers, as the industry shifts to a value-based service model, where outcomes and satisfaction drive reimbursements.

“Most hospitals have been focused on the back-of-house operations, where everything was about volume and efficiency,” says Michael Lied, director of healthcare, principal, GBBN Architects (Cincinnati). “Now the value is shifting to the front of the house and the customer service aspect.”

To that end, the waiting room and the overall waiting experience have fallen under new scrutiny, particularly the traditionally stale environments where patients and visitors might pass what feels like excruciatingly long periods of time. Providers are engaging designers to create spaces that make patients and visitors feel comfortable, appreciated, and valued for their time while setting their organization apart from others.

This shift is driving changes in the design approach, from the right-sizing of these spaces to the aesthetics, furnishings, and technologies that are being put to use.”