The methods for healthcare delivery in America are changing, almost on a daily basis. Factors like an aging population, changes in cost and funding, and evolving best practices affect every aspect of the healthcare industry, including facility design and construction. Leon Williams Contractors stays on top of these trends to make sure your Knoxville or East Tennessee medical facility reflects the modern standards for excellent patient care.

Here are five trends that will affect healthcare construction in 2019.

  1. Patient-focused spaces. Healthcare facilities will continue to become more patient-focused in 2019. Stark, institutional spaces are a thing of the past, with calming colors, customizable hospital rooms, and plenty of space for family coming to the forefront.
  2. Smartphone-friendly waiting rooms. What are your patients doing while they wait? They’re answering emails, checking Facebook, or posting on Twitter. Waiting rooms are starting to accommodate the smartphone revolution with built-in charging stations and even high-backed, private seating cubicles.
  3. Versatile design. Healthcare technology is advancing at a startling rate, and no one knows what the future might hold. Diagnostic spaces are being created with flexible, modular design to make space for the equipment and healthcare models of tomorrow.
  4. Micro-hospitals. As a whole, health systems aren’t building many large-scale, centralized hospitals anymore. But they are attempting to reach the communities around existing hospitals with small-scale inpatient facilities that offer an ER, labs, pharmacy, radiology, and a smaller number of beds. This is a boon for rural communities since patients won’t need to travel as far for care.
  5. Staying home. Hospital-acquired infections continue to be a problem, and with evolving remote diagnostic technology, it makes sense for some patients to receive care and monitoring from home. The inpatient model is changing rapidly, meaning fewer hospital beds and overnight stays.

Whether you’re building new or remodeling an existing space, our design-build construction experts at Leon Williams Contractors can give you a top-of-the-line facility created for quality patient care, so contact us today.