Hospital Design for the Future Informed by Operational Analysis and Process Mapping

Evolving healthcare service delivery has created the need for healthcare organizations to regularly update strategic and facility plans. How does your organization keep ahead of the curve in terms of being prepared for the future? When planning for a major expansion or renovation, how do you educate staff on what the future holds in new technologies; which ones they should consider adopting/adapting; and what is the likely impact on the design and cost of projects?

Operational Analysis assesses both the “what is” and the “what might be” in terms of present and forecast utilization and capacity. Process Mapping looks at the way materials, people and information flow into, out of, and through departments taking into account current conditions and desired future changes. Combining the two processes with a glimpse into the future allows the organization to begin thinking about the impact of what “could be” if new technologies or approaches are adopted. These two processes also provide an easily achievable snapshot of what it will take in terms of design elements to incorporate change. 

Webinar Learning Objectives

• Understand the need for operational analysis as a component of a strategic planning process.
• Understand the components of operational analysis and the potential impact each variable has on the project space requirements.
• Understand the rationale for using process mapping as a component of project planning.
• Understand the basic concepts of process mapping.
• Understand how the operational analysis and process mapping help inform design and strengthen the overall planning process.
• Understand the “value added” that these tools bring a project.

About the Speakers

Gary Burk AIA, NCARB

Mr. Burk has headed the healthcare architecture practice at Ratcliff since 1996, where he has provided project organization, management and planning direction for a number of complex assignments and for a variety of clients. Gary has been responsible for project and client management of healthcare facility planning projects, including utilization analysis, facility assessment, space programming, user group interviews, planning standards development and master planning. Using workload-based analysis methodologies and proven problem-solving principles to address the unique and complex problems of health care projects, he has developed a special expertise in the strategic and operational issues facing health care clients in an era of reform and managed care.

His clients appreciate the innovative tools he uses to help them study the most effective ways to provide value in health care delivery while being sensitive to costs and ease of implementation. He has nearly three decades of professional experience, working as a practitioner in major architectural offices; as the senior planner for a major healthcare provider; and as an educator in design. Gary was a presenter at Design.06, sharing his thoughts on operational analysis.

Terrie Kurrasch Associate AIA

Ms. Kurrasch has an extensive background in strategic and facility planning and healthcare administration. She has worked extensively within hospital and healthcare organizations, and as a healthcare management consultant. She has provided guidance and structure to the planning process for a number of complicated programs and projects, and has led the analysis of operations, called process mapping, which Ratcliff conducted in conjunction with the development of the space program for a large renovation and expansion project.

Terrie is able to provide project teams with a unique perspective on healthcare operational and policy issues, translating to planning and design options which are more completely informed and useful as physical master planning and architectural design take place. She is the lead researcher in Ratcliff's efforts to study how improvements in patient safety in healthcare environments can be realized through design efforts. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and an Associate Member of the AIA. She was a speaker at the 2005 Symposium on Healthcare Design, the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Georgia AIA, and Design.06 presenting information on the use of process mapping as a way to develop durable, sustainable designs.