4 Ways a Fully Integrated Facilities Services Model Drives Patient Experience

(2/20/2023)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) defines the patient experience as “the range of interactions patients have with the healthcare system, including their care from health plans, and from doctors, nurses, and staff in hospitals, physician practices, and other healthcare facilities.” As the largest sole provider of healthcare facilities services in the U.S., Medxcel is uniquely positioned to contribute to the physical environment that further impacts the patient experience.

A significant component of facilities management is safety – to provide quality care to patients, hospitals must first ensure they are safe. Compliance regulations, ligature risks and life safety drawings are vitally important areas of focus for Medxcel’s facility managers, but not the sole focus. Medxcel utilizes a fully integrated facilities services model to manage all elements of facilities and contribute to a patient’s optimal experience.

Below are four elements of Medxcel’s full-service management program that you may be surprised play a significant role in the patient experience.
 

1.Grounds and Landscaping

If we view patients as customers, we can equate the care they receive to a sale. Just as in retail, the first thing customers see when they head into a store is its curb appeal. This is true for hospitals, too, on a wider scale. The grounds of a hospital are usually the first impression the entire community receives and can influence whether members of the community visit your healthcare facility or stay far away from it.

In addition to curb appeal and providing an excellent first impression, investment in landscaping can prevent erosion, improve employee and patient quality of life, create new exterior spaces, and even cool temperatures indoors. You can read more about the benefits quality landscaping and groundskeeping provide to healthcare facilities here.
 

2.Facilities Management

Of course facilities management (FM) is a major part of facilities services. However, it plays a larger role in the overall patient experience than it may initially seem. A broken television or malfunctioning air conditioner unit in a patient room may not look like much, but to a sick or injured patient and their family members it could mean the difference between a routine hospital visit or one more uncomfortable element in an already trying day. Small fixes may seem minor in the greater scheme of the facility’s entire boiler and HVAC systems, but every element of facilities management plays an important role.

We take a deeper look at putting ourselves in a patient’s shoes and what they notice in a healthcare facility here.
 

3.Energy and Environmental Stewardship

Practice Greenhealth reports that healthcare facilities consume “close to 10% of the total energy used in U.S. commercial buildings and spend more than $8 billion on energy every year.” There’s plenty of room to improve, and you begin by collecting data.

It’s not enough to know there are inefficiencies in a facility’s energy use. They must be identified first so an appropriate solution can be created, integrated, maintained, and evaluated. This is where Medxcel’s fully integrated model exemplifies the care and attention it provides to all its facilities. Medxcel does not show up at a facility with a set of solutions in hand and force them to work. We put in the work to find the best solutions and manage the entire process along the way.

Visit Healthcare Facilities Today to read an article by Medxcel’s National Director for Energy and Facility Performance Scott Czubkowski on balancing energy efficiency, sustainability and patient care. We also recently published a blog post on sustainability initiatives here.
 

4.Planning, Design and Construction

Building a hospital’s facility management plan from the ground up, literally, during its construction is a rare privilege. Regardless of if we are building a brand-new acute care center or converting an underutilized meeting room into a patient care area, there are important steps to take during the whole process. And it is a process.

Healthcare construction is a $400 billion industry, and it’s changing every day. Whether that’s with new materials, the latest technological advances, or updated building standards, healthcare construction continues to evolve. Medxcel’s Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) team of experts uses professional resources to focus on how healthcare facilities need to change to keep up with the industry. Everything from code compliance and neighborhood health to sustainability and energy management is considered with care on a project-by-project basis. In addition, Medxcel performs feasibility studies and pre-design efforts to help healthcare leaders determine the best investments for their limited resources.

Listen to Medxcel Vice President of Planning, Design and Construction Mike Wood and CEO of Allen Parish Hospital Jacqueline Costley-Reviel discuss the do’s and don’t’s of hospital construction on Medxcel’s podcast, Outside the Patient’s Door.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of Medxcel’s services. We recommend exploring Medxcel.com further and reaching out to our team with questions.