Dear Imaging Center Insider,
Radiology administrators know all too well the challenges with bringing a new imaging suite online. From the RFP process until the first patients are seen, there are a multitude of details that demand their attention -- in addition to the primary responsibility of conducting business as usual.
Bringing a healthcare specialist architect, such as a member of the American College of Healthcare Architects, into the process early can pay huge dividends. Having a professional adept at working within real-world budgets and able to adapt to evolving business needs often results in a well-designed suite that enables efficient throughput and patient comfort.
One of these evolving business needs in the imaging suite design process can be the midstream change of a manufacturer or model number of the equipment that's being installed. While swapping one vendor’s ultrasound unit for another’s may not entail much in the way of imaging suite reconfiguration, a change in a CT, MR, or PET vendor or model may require extensive -- and expensive -- design and construction changes.
One method that imaging centers can use to mitigate these costs is to design what architect William Bernstein calls a "universal room." To learn more about the pluses and minuses of this design strategy, go here. As an AuntMinnie Imaging Center Radiology Insider, you have access to this story days before the rest of our members.
In other news, be sure to check in next week for reports from the Radiology Business Management Association annual summit in San Antonio, TX. To access this up-to-the-minute reporting, go to our Imaging Center Digital Community at centers.auntminnie.com.
