The American College of Healthcare Architects recently released its landmark “Future of Healthcare Task Force Report” that examines healthcare design and provides recommendations that architects and facility managers should consider to improve access to healthcare in a post-pandemic world.
“The report highlights three spheres of influence on healthcare: market disruptors, ability to react to needs and agility of the system,” said Angela Mazzi, president of the ACHA Board of Regents. “You’ll see a big focus on public health issues; rural and underserved populations; treating people, not disease; system agility and a movement to provide access to care beyond hospital/clinic walls, advocating for health and well-being.”
The task force, comprised of six ACHA certificants and members of allied healthcare and patient advocacy organizations, met for six months to study:
- How will healthcare be delivered in the future?
- How can we create an equitable system?
- What kinds of spaces are needed to accommodate this?
Two workshops on adaptable environments and technology included an additional 20 certificants and allied organizations. The group also discussed ways the healthcare industry must realign thinking to consider the future of medicine and care, including unconventional ambulatory models and highly sophisticated facilities.
As the pace of change accelerates, the task force emphasized the need for the built environment to be able to embrace this evolution, including accommodating technologies and revising codes and standards.
The report can be accessed by visiting https://healtharchitects.org/.
