Healthcare Design - December 2019 - 23

Breakout ideas

R E V I E W

BEFORE KICKING OFF Healthcare Design's 2020

Breaking Through conceptual design competition at
the 2019 HCD Expo, Editor-in-chief Jennifer Kovacs
Silvis tapped into the minds of healthcare owners
to discuss what the industry should be considering when it comes to innovation and the future of
healthcare design.Taking the stage for the closing
keynote presentation, "Breaking Through: What's
Coming Next?" were Chris Connell, chief design
officer at Cleveland Clinic; Suzen Heeley, executive director, design and construction at Memorial
Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Kevin Mahoney,
CEO of University of Pennsylvania Health System;
and Scott Nelson, system vice president, planning,
design, and construction at Advocate Aurora
Health. Top of mind for the panel were issues associated with the shift to more care being delivered
in ambulatory settings, technology integration, and
developing the right strategies and project teams to
drive innovation.
On the last topic, Heely said one way she finds
innovative solutions is by looking outside the healthcare industry to inspire ideas. "First and foremost,
we're healthcare organizations, but we're more
than that," she said, adding that many facilities also
include spaces for retail, dining, public activities,
and workplace. "As such, it's important to learn
what some of those industries are doing." One strategy has been to bring experts from other sectors
into project meetings, when applicable-an idea
that she said isn't always embraced by firms. "If
we're not making you feel uncomfortable enough,
then we're not innovating enough," she said.

Connell, whose background includes architecture and industrial and interior design, agreed, noting that
most big organizations are good at evolving care but that their support pieces "aren't always as innovative." To bring them up to speed, he added, "don't be afraid to ask the obvious question."
Addressing the upcoming Breaking Through competition, which invites participants to consider what
they'd create if the usual rules or parameters of healthcare design didn't exist, the panelists offered up
some challenges they'd like to see participants explore. For starters, Nelson suggested looking at enhancing inclusion and diversity within project teams to address the aging workforce and the need to drive more
young workers into trade jobs. As technology adoption continues to improve, Mahoney said he'd like to
see more ideas for healthcare organizations to adopt virtual reality to better meet patients where they are
instead of always requiring an office visit to deliver services. Adding to that, Heeley said as more
higher acuity patients enter the hospital, she'd like to see the built environment evolve into a "truly smart
building," capable of participating in care and diagnostics. Connell noted that as healthcare transitions
to more prevention, there's a need for healthcare systems to rethink their relationship with patients. "I think
there are a lot of healthcare systems that divide life into beginning/middle/end, " he said. "Systems need
to become more partners for life."
For more details on Breaking Through, visit HCDmagazine.com/events/breaking-through.-Anne
DiNardo, executive editor

DECEMBER 2019

23
http://www.HCDmagazine.com/events/breaking-through.-Anne
Healthcare Design - December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - December 2019
