The planning, design and construction (PDC) of health care facilities can play a role in helping hospitals to achieve the Triple Aim: improved patient experiences, better health and reduced costs. The Triple Aim has become an important focus for health care leaders, and it is critical that the professionals who create and maintain the health care built environment understand the ways PDC intertwines with these three important goals.

The 2016 International Summit & Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design & Construction on March 20–23 in San Diego will tackle topics related to delivering the Triple Aim. In addition to peer-reviewed educational sessions, the PDC Summit also features unique networking opportunities.

The meeting brings together a wide variety of professionals, giving them a chance to learn from each other, make valuable business connections and shape the future of the health care physical environment. And, increasingly, the future of health care is focused on the Triple Aim.

Patient satisfaction and scores provided by HCAHPS results are more important now than ever before. Keynote speaker Jake Poore, president and chief experience officer of Integrated Loyalty Systems and a top-rated speaker, will address the issue Monday. Poore, who spends most of his time in the trenches of health care institutions, has helped hundreds of hospitals to provide ideal patient experiences.

PDC Summit’s patient satisfaction track includes sessions on ways architects, designers, constructors and facility professionals can provide better patient experiences and spur higher HCAHPS scores. Sessions will explain ways the physical environment affects patient satisfaction and how the PDC community can create better healing spaces.

Another track features sessions related to ways planning, design and construction can help hospitals to provide the best care for patients. And a track on reducing costs includes many ideas for creating more efficient and cost-effective health care facilities.

Those interested in becoming a Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC) may be interested in attending a CHC exam preparation workshop on Sunday before the conference opens. The workshop includes test-taking tips and an overview of the topics identified in the CHC content outline and practice questions. The CHC exam will be offered Wednesday. Separate registration is required for both the workshop and the exam.

Registration for the 2016 PDC Summit is now open. Early-bird rates are available until Jan. 15. Visit www.pdcsummit.org to learn more.

Patrick Andrus, CAE, is ASHE’s deputy executive director of operations.

ASHE INSIGHTS

Important monographs available from ASHE

Following are two recently released monographs that can be accessed by ASHE members as free PDFs at www.ashe.org/resourcelibrary.

• HCAHPS Scores, the Patient Experience, and the Affordable Care Act from the Facility Perspective. This new ASHE monograph explores how the health care physical environment and facility professionals can improve patient satisfaction scores.

• Risk Assessment of Medical Equipment. A key part of the Joint Commission’s environment of care management plans, risk assessments of medical equipment are covered in this new ASHE monograph. It presents a framework for facilities professionals to follow.

Design guidelines available to industry through ASHE

The 2014 editions of the Facility Guidelines Institute’s Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities and the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities can be purchased at www.ASHEstore.com.