What happens when you put LEAN process planners, physicians and other clinicians, hospital administrators and architects in an unimproved suite within a medical office building for an entire week? That is exactly what CRGA and the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) did, and the collaboration resulted in an architectural solution that reflects new delivery processes and incorporates the patient-centered medical home model.
Acknowledging that with the changes in healthcare, moving more toward outpatient care, and with the patient centered medical home model taking hold, Greater Baltimore Medical Center desired to design a family care suite of the future. Before putting pen to paper, an integrative team comprised of key personnel from GBMC along with CRGA and a representative from the Virginia Mason Institute, the group participated in a week long LEAN workshop where the current state was evaluated and the best possible ideal state for the practice was envisioned. Incorporating the key principles from this workshop, CRGA developed a space that eliminated patient waiting, introduced a self-rooming concept with exam rooms all handed the same, and where the patient care team could collaboratively work.
Family Care Associates (FCA), part of the Greater Baltimore Medical Associates (GBMA), will offer patients and area residents a unique setting for their medical evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. The 6,100-square foot facility offers patients the privacy of being in a single wellness room for their physician appointments, lab work and other clinical processes. GBMA operates six other patient-centered medical home (PCMH) offices, but, FCA is the first facility built to meet the needs of the PCMH model allowing for greater team collaboration.
The traditional waiting room has been eliminated and there are no individual physician offices. The entrance way will house a greeter station for a greeter and the examination rooms form a “U” shape around the office complex – patient entrances on one side; doctor’s entrances on the other. Upon check-in, patients are immediately escorted to one of our 14 wellness rooms, with staff deployed, to begin the appointment. Each wellness room is equipped with an array of diagnostic tests that a doctor can perform on-site and the capability for blood to be drawn in the room, providing more convenience for the patient. The exam rooms themselves are set up to allow doctors to pay increased attention to the patient. Two physician/staff huddle spaces are available for private discussions, while the team works at workstations in the off stage area that facilitate communication throughout the day.
