M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center

Creating a Leading Edge Academic Medical Center

The University of Minnesota Medical Center, the flagship location for the University of Minnesota Health, is comprised of two hospitals and dozens of adult specialty clinics.  Improving patient care, the patient experience and driving efficiencies in workflow drove leadership to invest in a renovation in the facility. The expansion addresses the growing patient population with cutting-edge technology, updated procedure rooms, and advanced services that position the Medical Center as a national leader in healthcare innovation and delivery.

The group of projects were planned in phases to minimize disruption throughout construction:

• Emergency Department Renovation
• Replacement Ambulance Bay
• Reconstructed Main Entrance
• 12 new operating rooms
• East Building patient unit renovations

Of particular note is the Neurological and Angiography hybrid suite, one of the most advanced of its kind in the nation.  By incorporating a rotating, T-shaped intraoperative MRI, which allows surgeons to use real-time imaging to precisely guide complex procedures such as brain tumor removals, the suite functions as both an OR and an operational imaging space.  Moreover, to support the facility’s role as an academic medical center, the design team included an observation room with a large viewing window and monitors to display the intricacies of a procedure.

The phased expansion of the Emergency Department on the ground level provides a more accessible entrance, larger waiting area, updated exam rooms, and dedicated observation unit.  It also includes three trauma rooms, two triage rooms, and four vertical treatment rooms to support the wide variety of needs and treatment strategies.

The team engaged staff, patient groups, and stakeholders for feedback while planning each project in order to support improvements to the patient experience and create workflow efficiencies to enhance patient care and safety.  Additionally, the team developed mock-up rooms to assess feedback from frontline team members about the design and development of each room type undergoing renovation.