GS&P-Designed Middle Tennessee Medical Center (MTMC) Completed

2010-11-22_103745Replacement Hospital Is Model of Convenient, Efficient and Safe Healthcare for the Region

Nashville, Tenn. — Gresham, Smith and Partners, a leading multi-disciplinary design and consulting firm for the built environment, is pleased to announce the completion of Middle Tennessee Medical Center (MTMC) located on 68.5 acres in Murfreesboro, Tenn.  Designed by GS&P, the 550,000-square-foot, 286-bed replacement hospital is a model of convenient, efficient and safe healthcare for the region. Designed and constructed utilizing Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Lean Construction the project remained successfully under budget and ahead of schedule.  The facility began accepting patients on October 2, 2010.

Key components of the facility include 12 Operating Rooms, 40 Emergency Department exam rooms, 32 Intensive Care Unit rooms, 11 Labor and Delivery rooms and 16 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit beds, as well as a Central Energy Plant.  MTMC also boasts one of the most comprehensive imaging equipment packages in the Middle Tennessee area which includes digital radiography, nuclear medicine suites with dual detectors, a 4D ultrasound, a 64 slice CT scanner, four Cardiac Cath labs and a 3T MRI.

The design of MTMC supports the organization’s mission of providing a faith-based facility by incorporating design concepts and elements which suggest spiritual well-being is an important component of the healing process.  The design centers around a prominently-designed Chapel which is positioned so it can be seen from a variety of places throughout the facility.  Located in the Healing Garden and surrounded by a fountain, the Chapel can be seen upon entry into the lobby as well as from nearly all public waiting rooms.  2010-11-22_103707

“We are thrilled to occupy this new space which provides us with room for future growth and easy access for our patients throughout the region,” Gordon Ferguson, chief executive officer, MTMC. “Throughout the planning and design phase, GS&P identified process improvements which enable nurses to obtain patient history, initiate treatment and admit patients faster than ever.  We began the implementation of the improvements where able in our previous facility and look forward to the many other efficiencies and improvements which will come from occupying this new space.  This project further supports our vision to be our community’s first choice for excellent care.”

The design incorporates evidenced-based design solutions and patient safety design elements to facilitate the healing process and lower the risk of accidents and medical error. Same-handed patient rooms allow each care giver to provide for a patient with a single protocol regardless of the type of nursing unit the patient is housed.  Spacious private patient rooms provide family zones to accommodate family and visitors and each room has a large window which allows natural light to enter the room to help in the healing process.  Time and motion studies were conducted to minimize the travel distances for nursing staff and departments have been consolidated to minimize the patients’ movement and wait times. A courtyard healing garden which promotes activity and enhances the patient experience includes water features, plants and seating for visitors and associates and is viewable from many of the patient rooms.  
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“We are proud of the collective team effort that went into completing this project two months ahead of our initial schedule and nearly $4 million under budget,” commented Gregory Gore, AIA, NCARB, principal, Gresham, Smith and Partners.  “Extensive meetings with hospital staff and physicians, as well as a comprehensive facility operational assessment were conducted to aid in designing a facility that integrates the latest trends in healthcare design in a way that effectively supports the core values and operational processes of MTMC.  The commitment to excellence upheld by the entire team can be felt when entering the facility and we hope that translates to the community for which it is designed to serve.”

Indoor environmental quality, including natural lighting and noise reduction, was considered by the team to be one of the most important features of the replacement hospital. Nearly all of the patient rooms have floor to ceiling windows, as well as windows at the end of patient corridors, and large expanses of glass in the main lobby and waiting rooms. To enhance the light quality, all lighting in patient areas of the facility is provided by indirect fixtures. The nursing unit corridors are designed with serrated walls and patient room doors purposely not in alignment across the corridors to greatly reduce the noise levels within the nursing units.

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Posted November 19, 2010

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