Medical office decor8/26/2023 AAGA has used an EHR since 2002, says Bosma, and currently uses a tablet to accomplish patient registration, payment, and questionnaires. With the elimination of paper charts, chart rooms are becoming a thing of the past freeing up not just physical space, but staffing needs as well. "We used to be able to do exam rooms at 7-6 by 9-6 now we are really more like 11 by 9." And the doctor needs to have access to the computer so he can be inputting all the pertinent information from interviewing the patient," Puffer notes. "You have to have … a triangulation between the physician, the guest, and the patient. To accommodate three or even four people, exam rooms are increasing in size. Now that medicine has adopted a more consultative relationship between patient and physician, more patients are bringing a family member along to help them remember what the physician has to say and be an advocate. Many practices are opting for a second patient registration area that offers more privacy for check-in, payment, and completion of the medical and social histories.īrenda Bosma, executive director for Annapolis, Md.-based Anne Arundel Gastroenterology Associates (AAGA) and ambulatory surgery center, the Maryland Center for Digestive Health, says the design of the surgery center was focused on giving patients a positive experience while waiting to be seen by the physicians. Due to HIPAA privacy rules, seating patients close to the check-in desk could compromise patient privacy. Often several physicians will share a single space for patient consultations, freeing up practice real estate for more exam rooms or what Puffer calls a "touch-down space," where providers can brief clinical staff on next steps for their patients. Many physicians no longer have a dedicated office with the accoutrements of their profession like medical diplomas on the wall, human skeletons, and pharmaceutical swag. Experts say these are some of the ways that practices are changing up their physical space: There are several factors at play: The incorporation of new technology, the need to improve patient flow and staff efficiency, and reassigning new space that has opened up. Practice design and configuration has undergone significant changes over the years. Here are some of the factors you'll need to consider before building your new space. The beauty of undertaking a practice redesign or new build is that you can customize the scope and timeline of the project to suit your practice's individual needs. If your budget is limited, don't despair. Now, he says, the theme is consolidation and partnership with other physicians, a hospital, or integrated health system so that providers can share space and disperse overhead costs for items such as new technology or additional staff to manage practice administration. Puffer can remember when patient charts "would gobble up three filing cabinets" per physician, and a new medical office design for a solo physician would include a couple of exam rooms, a consultation room, and a small lab or processing station. And has grown in size because of the nature of the work being done in there," he says. "As time has gone on, the exam room really the center of the interaction with the patient. But how does that affect a practice's physical design and space requirements?īruce Puffer, founder and president of Plymouth, Mass.-based design firm Pro Medical Interiors, says he's seen monumental change in design requirements for medical practices over the past 38 years. Medical practices are rapidly changing: EHRs have largely replaced paper charts, mobile devices are able to chart patient notes, and video chat enables remote access to patients.
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