hospital construction
Despite big troubles, Kaiser income jumps 30%
Despite some high-profile black eyes in a few areas of its operations, Kaiser Permanente has had one heck of a year. The organization just reported that its nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Kaiser Foundation Hospital and subsidiaries saw a 10 percent jump in revenue and a 30 percent rise in net income. This is good news for Kaiser, certainly, but it should also be noted that Kaiser's operating margin has fallen almost one-half over the last couple of years, from 5.3 percent in …
... Read more...Hundreds of CA hospitals to miss safety deadline
Nearly half of approximately 900 hospital buildings being retrofitted to meet new California seismic safety guidelines will miss the state's January 2008 compliance deadline (extended to 2013 for many older structures), and many may not even meet a second deadline in 2030, according to a California HealthCare Foundation/Rand Corporation report. Given that compliance will require construction of 40 million to 70 million square feet of space, it could be more than 30 years before the law is …
... Read more...Study: Hospitals' design impacts employee turnover
OK, the connection may be indirect. But the connection is there, say researchers from The Center for Health Design (CHD), which works to improve healthcare through evidence-based healthcare design. The physical environment of health organizations helps improve the health and safety of staff members, increasing care effectiveness, reducing errors and boosting job satisfaction. And that helps keep employees on board, according to a new paper published by CHD. Admittedly, they note, …
... Read more...Hospital building boom leaves inner cities behind
In recent times, low interest rates have encouraged hospitals to rebuild aging facilities and expand into into affluent exurban areas. Hospitals have spent an eye-popping $100 billion to create new buildings or expand old ones between 2000 and 2005--nearly double the amount spent during the previous five years. The new, modern hospitals feature electronic medical records, private rooms and wireless networking.
But this development boom hasn't been distributed evenly. While sleek …
... Read more...Editor's Corner
Two stories about hospital construction caught my eye this week. The Birmingham Business Journal reported on the impact sky-high hospital …
HCA's hospital building boom
Yesterday we reported hospital construction costs are skyrocketing in the midst of an industry-wide building boom. Today The Tennessean reports HCA is moving forward with several hospital construction projects despite the fact the hospital chain is in the midst of a $33 billion buyout. HCA has spent an …
... Read more...Hospital construction costs skyrocket
Issues as diverse as Hurricane Katrina, Chinese use of steel and high oil and copper prices are impacting the cost of hospital construction in the midst of an industry-wide building boom. For about 20 years, hospital building costs rose only two to three percent a year. Since 2004, however, the cost of building a hospital has risen as much as ten percent a year, averaging "between $265 and $275 per square foot…up from less than $100 in 1995," according to the Birmingham Business …
... Read more...ALSO NOTED: AIA backs all-private rooms; Hospital sued over spider bite; and much more...
> All-private rooms would be SOP in hospitals under new recommendations from the American Institute of Architects, whose hospital construction guidelines are used as the basis of regulation in 42 states. Report
> An eastern Kentucky woman is suing Pikeville Medical Center over a brown recluse spider bite she allegedly received while in the hospital. …
... Read more...LSU, VA plan New Orleans medical center
Louisiana State University and the Department of Veteran's Affairs announced a plan to build a new $1.2 billion medical center in New Orleans. The hospital will probably take over the role played by historic Charity Hospital, although no official announcement has been made yet on the older hospital. Construction is slated for October 2008. Some doctors groups have criticized the plan as unnecessary, arguing that damage to the first floor and basement of the hospital could be repaired …
... Read more...Focus on private rooms in new construction
New design guidelines set to be released this month all but abolish shared rooms in new hospital construction. Private rooms, it is argued, reduce the chances of infection, lower the risk of medical errors and decrease the odds of privacy violations. The guidelines, which are released every four years by the Facilities Guidelines Institute, are widely used by state governments in the licensing and constructional approval process. The new rules also call for better ventilation systems to …
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