What Makes Medical Building Construction Unique?

Look around any community and you’ll see medical facilities. Medical building construction is growing, and commercial contractors must keep pace with the unique challenges, issues and regulations associated with these specialty buildings. The structure, design and requirements of medical buildings are different from other commercial buildings in the following ways:

Built for Healthcare Specialty

Medical building construction is changing along with the way health care is delivered. The rapid advance of medical technology and the overall emphasis on cost containment are causing healthcare organizations to re-engineer the way they do business. For example, while hospital inpatient use is declining, new and different types of facilities like outpatient surgery centers and ambulatory care centers are on the rise.

Each type of medical building has specific requirements. A walk-in urgent care has very different needs from an assisted living facility, or a conglomerate of doctor’s offices. Make sure the builder you choose has a detailed pre-construction process to determine your goals and understand exactly what your building needs to function effectively.

Also, make sure medical construction companies have a keen understanding of special use medical spaces, and know the ins and outs of medical building design and construction.

Meet Medical Building Regulatory Standards

Every state has established regulations and standards that apply to medical healthcare buildings. Medical construction companies must follow many regulatory and technical requirements. A building’s design and construction must always be in compliance with these standards.

In addition, healthcare facilities are factoring resiliency planning into their overall design strategy. Resilient design has played a much bigger role in parts of the country commonly ravaged by such disasters as hurricanes and tornadoes. Be sure the commercial contractor you choose has knowledge of resilient design.

 

Patient Safety and Medical Construction Companies  

According to the National Institutes of Health*, medical building construction has a direct impact on patient safety. Thus, buildings must be critically and strategically designed with patient safety in mind.

In years past, healthcare building designs did not focus enough on safety issues, which led to human error and other safety problems due to design flaws. Fixed and moveable components are some examples of things that can impact the precision and quality of care provided.

How Patients Move Through the Care Cycle  

The flow and ways people circulate through the building is another consideration for medical construction companies when designing a project. A chaotic waiting area with no clear flow or line to the check-in desk is a prime example of this mistake. A maze of confusing walkways and intersections can inhibit productivity and cause patients to get lost or be injured.

A medical office should be viewed as a series of interlinking systems, with each one having a different function and direction. The circulation of a space has to be clear and straightforward for the people inside.

Work with a Commercial Contractor with Medical Building Expertise

As a leading medical building construction company, we can assist in both the design and construction of your project. Our stellar record has established us as leaders in medical construction. We’re prepared to assist with your medical building construction needs. Call 817-473-0484 or get your no-cost/no-obligation planning package today.