Facilities Master Plan Strategies 

Moderator: Michael Gerhardt

Panelists: Dale Locklair & Jill Pearsall

Developing and updating facilities master plans can be a complex and daunting task. In today’s healthcare environment, facility leaders are often updating these long-range master plans every few years, particularly following major legislative changes, reimbursement shifts, internal leadership turnover, and crises. Hear from a panel of healthcare executives as they outline key considerations when updating your master plans post-pandemic and discuss strategies to develop dynamic plans. These leaders will also offer practical approaches to align your facilities plans with your health system’s strategic business plan, operational improvement initiatives, planned IT investments, and financial resources.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the factors impacting healthcare facility planning.
2. Discuss new planning considerations that align with changes in hospital priorities and patient needs.      
3. Explain the benefits of considering alternative patent populations when developing facility master plans.
4. Develop strategies to integrate technology into current and future facility plans.

Healthcare Construction Post-Pandemic 

Moderator: Michael Gerhardt

Panelists: Walter Jones, Bob Kramer, Barbara Wagner

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to designing flexible spaces, constructing more outpatient care facilities, and expediting the building process. What do these trends mean for healthcare leaders and construction projects post-pandemic? A panel of healthcare construction stakeholders will share insights into the trends impacting healthcare construction in 2022 and offer strategies to realign projects with changing priorities and expectations. They will also discuss approaches to overcome healthcare construction challenges, accounting for the rising costs and issues concerning raw materials, mitigating supply shortages, and restarting stalled projects.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss the impact of the pandemic on healthcare facilities.
2. Examine trends impacting the healthcare construction industry in 2022.
3. Develop strategies to realign construction projects with the changes in hospital priorities and patient expectations.
4. Identify ways to overcome the post-pandemic challenges within healthcare construction.

New Standards for Infection Control & Patient Safety 

Moderator: Maria Hames

Presenters: Katherine Anderson & James Davis

Hospital-acquired infections and injuries lead to tens of thousands of deaths and cost the U.S. health care system billions of dollars each year. Facility leaders have an important role in infection control and that role was magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic. How should facility leaders prepare for patient safety post-pandemic? Join a panel of healthcare executives as they discuss new infection control measures, including reevaluating entry points, redesigning waiting rooms, implementing technology to minimize physical contact, and enhancing facilities to minimize patient injuries, among other measures.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify strategies to improve workplace safety for healthcare employees.
2. Outline the implementation of new industry safety guidelines.
3. Explain recently release public safety guidelines and its effect on operations.
4. Evaluate changes in the legislative pipeline and changes on the horizon.