Paragon Architecture

Healthcare facilities are traditionally more costly than other building types due to technology, the complexity of building systems, building codes and the requirements to hit the quality standard. Inflation in the construction environment has caused exponential increases. No healthcare provider can afford to fall victim to the costly circumstance of having valuable space in their facilities go underutilized or invest in facility upgrades that don’t plan for a future of flexibility and growth.
Master planning at the onset of the facility design process prevents medical providers from having to move a department. Advanced planning helps medical providers consider what might change—regulations, reimbursements or patient demographics.
Jim Stearman, Director of Healthcare at Paragon Architecture, said, “The planning rules and wisdom to create space that’s flexible and expandable so you’re not spending money twice is critical.”
The mission at Paragon Architecture is to design a quality healthcare experience by considering expandability, flexibility and identifying how to better utilize space.
Essential to any healthcare project is the separation between public-facing areas and clinical areas. This is driven by efficiency for providers and comfort for patients. Patients need a calm, healing environment. Providers must quickly get what they need within a few steps to spend more time with patients. Providers can lose valuable time due to poor facility design causing inefficient workflows. Carefully considering potential future needs during design sets facilities up for success.
Paragon Architecture understands the need for expandable zones in case another modality or future clinic is needed. Wise initial medical facility planning allows for seamless expansion and added capacity in a phased approach, permitting the building to remain operational by minimizing disruptions to daily services brought on by construction.
Flexibility should drive design in a medical facility. For example, exam rooms in a multispecialty clinic can be designed in a universal way so no matter which provider is serving patients—internal medicine, orthopedics, women’s health, etcetera—the exam room works for them all. By implementing a plug-and-play approach, clinics can optimize scheduling of rooms and adapt to shifts in patient demographics and reimbursement models to enhance both patient care and operational efficiency. If a clinic is custom designed for a specific discipline, or if it’s designed around one physician, then days off or low patient volume can mean underutilized space.
“Quality design is about coming alongside the caregiver and aiding them in serving their patients. Comprehensive master planning can create a healing environment that leads to improved outcomes,” Stearman said. “Rather than fighting the facility, it’s helping providers which helps their patients.’”
In an era where every dollar counts, healthcare providers must invest wisely. Strategic facility master planning and design are not just advantageous; they are imperative to sustain a thriving healthcare facility. By investing in thoughtful design now, providers can avoid costly mistakes ensuring that facilities are equipped to meet both present and future healthcare challenges.
Feel free to contact Paragon Architecture, whose healthcare design team brings nearly a century of healthcare planning and expertise.