Pokemon Go is a worldwide obsession. Hillary and Donald are squabbling. Another tragedy. Without the Russians and most of the world's top golfers, the Olympics will go on. Brexit is creating chaos across the pond.
But what's in the news right now that could affect healthcare design? Here's some of the things that caught my attention in the past week or so.
1. CMS Delays Its Overall Hospital Star Rating System -- Again
Critics claim the methodology only uses quality outcomes rather than characteristic of patients or hospitals. Hospital groups are also frustrated that CMS is not keeping them in the loop on how it's developing the methodology. Find out more.
Also, check out my post last week on this topic.
2. Hospitals Changing Policies to Promote Sleep
"How often was the area around your room quiet at night?" is still the lowest-scoring question on the HCAHPS survey that patients fill out about their experiences in the hospital. But reimbursements aside, hospitals like Mattel Children's in Los Angeles are also realizing that sleep is crucial for healing.
As a result, they are changing their policies and being more sensitive to patients' needs while in the hospital. Anyone want to make a bet on better outcomes? Find out more.
3. Human-Centered Design-Driven Approach to Medicine
Kaiser Permanente's vision for the future of healthcare delivery is to create a holistic experience to show patients care, compassion, and respect. And the good thing is, the design of the physical environment is a critical component to this strategy.
Ten new medical offices, called "health hubs," are being rolled out over the next 18 months. Find out more.
4. Telemedicine Transforming Healthcare
The virtual doctor is in -- connecting with patients and other clinicians by phone, email, and webcam. Virtual Care Centers are the new hospitals without beds.
New practices, like TeleICU and telemental health are emerging. But there are regulatory issues and questions about how physicians should be paid. Find out more.
5. Child Obesity Rates Leveling Off
A recent report from the Robert Wood Johnson foundation says that since 2003–2004, the obesity rate among U.S. youth ages 2 to 19 has held steady at 17%. Among children ages 2 to 5, the obesity rate decreased from 13.9% in 2003–2004 to8.9% in 2011–2014.
This is good news. But there's still work to be done. Find out more.
6. Demand for Wellness Real Estate Growing
The idea behind wellness real estate is to to transform indoor environments into spaces that help nurture, sustain and promote human health and well-being. Delos, the company that came up with this term several years ago, just got a $20 million boost from investors.
It strikes me that this vision is very similar to the original vision of those of us who founded The Center for Health Design in 1993.
Delos also just named USGBC founder Rick Fedrizzi Chairman and CEO of its International WELL Building Institute, which administers its WELL Building Standard globally. Find out more.
7. A New Concept for Maternity Waiting in Africa
Our thinking about how waiting areas should be designed in U.S. healthcare facilities continues to evolve. But there are different challenges in third-world countries.
To address infant and maternal mortality rates in Malawi, MASS Design Group designed a "maternity waiting village" for expectant mothers. When you think about it, transforming a waiting experience into an empowering experience is really a global concept. Find out more.
P.S. Please do me a favor -- if you liked this post and like this blog, please share it with others by sending them the link and/or post it on your Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook, etc. Also, don't forget to subscribe, so you'll get emails when new content is posted. Thanks!