Chicago, IL (PRWEB) December 05, 2013
What does the hospital of the future look like? As health care futurist Ian Morrison notes in Health Facilities Managements (HFM) Trends In Health Care issue, hospitals that have a large footprint will likely be a thing of the past. Instead, the focus will be on a central network using information technology and telehealth facilities to ensure the community it serves enjoys optimum wellness.
The HFM issue explores how hospitals and health care systems are handling the transition from large, stand-alone facilities with centralized services to a model where the hospital serves as a hub for satellite facilities, such as urgent care clinics. According to the AHA Annual Survey, there has been a more than 112 percent increase in the number of hospital-owned freestanding outpatient emergency care centers between 2005 and 2012.
The December issue also covers other topics of interest to hospital and health care executives, including:
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The issue discusses overall health care construction trends, including what kinds of projects are being built currently and which are being planned. According to the HFM/American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) 2013 Hospital Construction Survey, 70 percent of hospitals are either expanding or renovating their acute care facilities.
Also, the issue looks at how hospitals are using technology in their facilities. According to the 2013 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study, 96 percent of responding hospitals have wireless apps for electronic health records, which means physicians and nurses can access these records from mobile devices.
With the Affordable Care Acts emphasis on better serving community health and wellness needs, our research found clear indications that hospitals are responding by pushing services and facilities further out into the community to reach patients wherever they reside. At the same time, there remains a concerted effort to reduce costs in all areas of hospital operations while using the most cost-effective and efficient cleaning and supply technologies to reduce health care-associated infections and improve quality and safety, says Bob Kehoe, HFMs associate publisher.
For more information about HFM, please visit http://www.hfmmagazine.com.
About Health Facilities Management Magazine
Health Facilities Management Magazine (HFM), a publication of the American Hospital Association, is the most trusted and credible publication in its field. HFM provides the most comprehensive coverage of the unique challenges facing health facility design/architecture, construction and operations communities. It reports on the latest trends in hospital construction and renovations, illustrating unique building projects. Through its close working relationships with facilities managers, consultants, equipment suppliers and industry leading architectural,, engineering, environmental services and interior design organizations, HFM offers exclusive access to experts who keep readers abreast of the latest industry changes.
About Health Forum
Health Forum is a strategic business enterprise of the American Hospital Association, creatively partnering to develop and deliver essential information and innovative services to help health care leaders achieve organizational performance excellence and sustainability.
About the American Hospital Association
The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which includes nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends.