Healthcare Design - November 2020 - 68

The

Center

NEW FRONTIER

As telehealth use rises, the design of virtual care
environments must support communication,
diagnostics, and experience By Debra Levin

HOUGH WE'VE BEEN talking for years now about how
new technologies have the potential to fundamentally shift the healthcare experience from predominantly in-person visits to more virtual ones, the
change was slow to come. That is until COVID -19
closed down access to nonessential appointments
and heightened the need for a new way to connect
patients with their care teams. The U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services report "Medicare Beneficiary Use of Telehealth Visits: Early Data From the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic,"
released in July, shows just how dramatically the landscape changed for
Medicare patients in only a few short months, with less than 1 percent of
primary care visits conducted through a telehealth platform in February
compared with 43.5 percent in April.
Moving forward, McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, expects that telemed visits will account for around 20 percent
($250 billion) of what Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurers will
spend on outpatient, office, and home health visits. One key factor spurring this change comes from the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services, which tempoIT'S IMPORTANT FOR
rarily approved coverage for 80 new telehealth
TELEMEDICINE SETTINGS
services and provided more regulatory flexibility to increase access to virtual care.
TO ADDRESS PRIVACY,
In light of this fundamental shift in the care
ACOUSTICS, LIGHTING,
model and the need to carefully consider
BRANDING, AND MORE.
the design of telemed spaces, The Center for
Health Design released the issue brief "Virtual Care: Guidance for Healthcare Settings," researched and written by
Ellen Taylor, vice president for research at The Center. The 16-page brief
focuses on the origins and expanding use of telemedicine for virtual care;
the role the built environment plays in facilitating care via telemedicine;
and how evidence was used to support and develop language for design
guidance, specifically calling out requirements and recommendations.
Taylor explains why it's important for telemedicine settings to include
more than technology and why they should address space, privacy,
acoustics, lighting, gaze angle, interior surfaces, corporate branding, and
equipment support in order to encourage the best possible outcomes.

NOVEMBER 2020

HCDMAGAZINE.COM

For example, it's important for rooms to be
designed for appropriate sound isolation to ensure acoustical privacy. Another important part
of the telemedicine experience is lighting to
ensure a natural color rendition and support both proper diagnostics as well as patient
satisfaction.
Because eye contact is an important part of
the communication experience, thought also
needs to be given to gaze angles and a person's
physical distance from the camera. The colors
and finishes selected for the space can also impact the experience, with one study cited in the
brief noting that light to medium blue or light
gray matte wall finishes are best for color rendition and facilitating picture clarity. A sample
of these colors is pictured in the brief as well as
graphics on gaze angle and corporate identification placement.
In addition to this new issue brief, The Center
held the day-long workshop "Telemedicine: The
Genie's Out of the Bottle" in September, which
was recorded and will soon be available on demand on our website.
Medical visits aren't the only thing that have
moved online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Every November for more than three
decades, our industry has gathered together
in person to share stories, break bread, learn
from one another, and celebrate our successes
as a community through the annual Healthcare
Design Expo & Conference. Much like going to
summer camp as a kid, we've come to count on
seeing our friends and colleagues each year and
having that time together to learn and reconnect. This year, plans have been altered, like
so many other aspects of our lives, but we can
still come together for HCD Virtual, being held
Nov. 9-12 (visit HCDvirtual.com for more information and to register). This new event will
include an array of amazing speakers over the
course of three days and one day dedicated
to programs from the many associations that
partner with the conference. It's a great way to
be together as a community and earn your CEU
credits, until we can meet again at the next HCD
Expo in October 2021 in Cleveland. I look forward to connecting with all of you soon! 
Debra Levin is president and CEO of The Center for
Health Design. She can be reached at D L E V I N @
H E A LT H D E S I G N . O R G .

http://www.HCDvirtual.com http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM

Healthcare Design - November 2020

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