SPOTLIGHT: Building the hospital of the future

In the old days, community hospitals had small rooms, bleak decor and twisty, hard-to-navigate hallways. But this time around, the planners behind Kentucky's Norton Brownsboro hospital are rethinking traditional hospital designs. After visiting other facilities, consulting with architects and collecting focus-group feedback, they decided to build a bigger, brighter and friendlier facility that meets the demands of today's retail-oriented patients. When the $146 million, 127-bed facility opens in 2009, it will feature a hotel-like lobby, comfortable room furniture and a wide, airport-like central hallway allowing visitors to find both the radiology department and the coffee bar in moments. Plus lots of Internet connectivity options, of course. Article

Post a comment