05/07/2020
What does the future of medical practices have in store?
Eight years ago, I wrote a blog “The Surprising Design Connection between Kitchens and Labs” www.patgericke.com/blog. Found in archives March 2012
Spending several years designing medical practices from gynecology to plastic surgery the same points hold true to this day. BUT, now we are living through a new and unknown path with Pandemic proportions.
How will the new medical office and lab look like – how will they protect the healthcare provider as well as their patients. For existing facilities steps need to be taken for safety and decontamination. The hospitals have, for several years, been teleconferencing with their patients, the x-ray technicians and testing laboratories – but it is now used with the small practitioners. The medical staff and receptions will need protection, the patient waiting in the reception area will need protection. There are immediate adjustments to the physical that can be implemented now. Moving forward, it needs to go beyond the physical – the way of practicing will need to be examined, as it will affect medical billing, insurance liability, additional costs of doing business; and, not to mention, the psychological and cultural change to the office itself.
When I was a kid, doctors made house calls – it was common practice. But doctors realized that if they had the patients come to them, they controlled their schedule, they could book more patients and their profits increased. Having said that, and not everything can be handled by a teleconference – will the practitioner go back to making house calls – and what safety precautions will need to be put in place.
I do know one thing – every household will need to have a digital thermometer in their medicine cabinet! I wish you well and be safe!
If you need advice, feel free to email me at [email protected] or call me at 917 374 6271 to set up a consultation.
This week I participated in an Art Tour offered by Artful Circle to the Brooklyn Museum specifically for a tour and lecture through two inspiring exhibits. The first was to explore the artwork of Ai Wei Wei, the activist who was held under house arrest for 81
