Tips for Scalable & Resilient Hospital Infrastructure

By George Stefanovici, Paul Carastro, Adam Posorske

Using various scenarios to plan for a new, renovated, or expanded facility — from business-as-usual operations to pandemics and natural disasters — hospital leaders and facility managers can shift their thinking from facilitating near-future operations to long-term financial and operational resiliency.

Simply incorporating the idea of resiliency into the planning vocabulary can expand the planning mindset to examine how well a facility and its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems can absorb disruptions to normal operations.

In today’s world, artificial intelligence is changing faster than most have predicted. Knowing where technology is going and how it will reshape the equipment used to deliver care is key to planning for the spaces that will facilitate the new technology and equipment it powers.

Navigating this fog of technology or equipment change has made the relationship with suppliers and manufacturers more vital. Bringing trusted advisors with the design team can help facilitate designs that accommodate the evolution of equipment change and technology integration rather than just hosting the equipment.

The adage that the only constant is change has never been truer, only today it is faster. By calculating the lifecycle costs appropriately with the right information, the design team can properly counsel owners and operators on choices that put hospitals on the right track for future flexibility and growth.