Among design industry’s most important research awards, Certificate of Research Excellence recognizes HGA’s commitment to improving the healthcare delivery process through evidence-based design.
HGA has received an Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE) Merit award for a pre-occupancy evaluation study of a specialty clinic for SSM Health South Madison Campus.
Led by Tanya Singh Chadha, AAIA, EDAC, Medical Planner, and Kara Freihoefer, PhD, EDAC, Director of Research, “Pre-Occupancy Evaluations of Outpatient Specialty Clinics: A Shift to Team Based Coordinated Care” documents a pre-occupancy evaluation of the existing South Madison Campus in Madison, Wisconsin, as part of the pre-design phase for a replacement clinic.
In structuring the study, the research team adopted a mixed-method approach that included shadowing, Gemba Walks, staff surveys, and voice of the customer (patients and families) feedback to evaluate current operational state and identify areas of improvement to streamline service lines. The research data subsequently informed design decision-making for the replacement clinic.
“The healthcare industry is experiencing a paradigm shift that removes physical barriers between staff and patient care areas,” Chadha said. “However, there has been little evidence to support this thinking as the design industry constantly struggles with evaluating an open, collaborative clinic design because of lack of data. This study addresses relevant industry design problems and fills a vital knowledge gap.”
Now under construction with Spring 2022 opening, the 180,000-square-foot, five-story outpatient clinic includes pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, women’s health, cancer care, and orthopedics programs.
Interior planning features an on stage-on stage spatial configuration that blurs the lines between staff and patient zones. The plan enhances team-based caregiver collaboration and productivity, eliminates siloed episodic care, enhances patient experience with improved visibility of staff areas, reduces caregiver travel distance, and increases throughput with universal exam rooms.
“Tanya and Kara’s work and recognition in researching pre-occupancy evaluations for SSM Health specialty clinics demonstrates our progress in our fist strategy—building our value as a curious, research-driven organization,” said Scott Lindvall, AIA, NCARB, Chief Operating Officer of HGA.
About CORE
The Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE) is a professional certification that recognizes and celebrates exceptional, rigorous, innovative and impactful practice-based environmental design research studies. CORE affords design research professionals in any industry sector the opportunity to be at the forefront of environmental design research, showcase the proficiency of their work, provide lasting value to clients, and advance the industry with rigorous and impactful design research.
For more information about the South Madison Campus, download Pre-Occupancy Evaluations of Outpatient Specialty Clinics.