Work Category: Clinical Care

A healthcare leader brought on MP to renovate their internal medicine clinic at their Boston location to consolidate existing floors into one. The clinic was spread over two floors with redundant support and administrative spaces. The resulting renovation increases efficiency in the space, including 64 exam rooms as well as point-of-care testing and administrative offices for medical personnel.

The design team integrated concise color schemes and finish palettes throughout to create effective wayfinding pathways. This allows staff and patients to navigate efficiently through the large number of exam rooms. Custom millwork solutions for the exam rooms create an ergonomic workflow for clinicians.

Margulies Perruzzi completed renovations for the radiation oncology department at Beth Israel Lahey Health’s Winchester Hospital. Located at 620 Washington Street in Winchester, Mass., the radiation oncology department is part of the hospital’s Center for Cancer Care.

The radiation oncology renovation project was driven by Winchester Hospital’s need to install a new linear accelerator. It will allow the clinical team to treat more complex cases with a higher level of precision and efficiency. The vault reconstruction also provided an opportunity to upgrade support spaces and refresh the aesthetics throughout the department.

The project team strategically planned the construction and equipment installations for the shortest construction duration possible to minimize the diversion of patients to other BILH cancer centers during the renovations. Over the course of four months, the existing linear accelerator was removed, the vault, control room and CT sim room were renovated inclusive of new shielding and below slab conduit runs, the new equipment was installed, tested and the department was back open for patient care. Cosmetic upgrades and custom millwork were designed to fit the accessories and equipment associated with radiation treatment.

Photography by David Pires Photography

The Ambulatory Surgery Center of Southwest Ohio is located in an existing two-story building that has undergone extensive renovations. The Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) is located on the first floor and medical offices are on the second floor. The 13,400 SF ASC includes four operating rooms with the ability to add a fifth, laser procedure room, patient prep and recovery, central sterile processing, and support spaces.

With 16 patient prep and recovery bays and two screening/consultation rooms, the ASC is able to move patients into the clinical areas efficiently and minimize time in the waiting room. The patient prep and recovery bays have side panels for privacy and infection control and are used for patient dressing to reduce the number of areas that the patient encounters during their stay. Three enclosed recovery bays are provided for negative pressure, extended stay, and pediatric patients. One of the rooms is designed to double as a laser procedure room.

The ASC is designed for one-way patient travel. Patients check in by phone or online and wait until they are instructed to enter; they are then escorted directly to a patient bay where they are gowned, prepped, and vital signs are taken. The prep and recovery suite has separate doors to and from the semi-restricted OR corridor. The suite is designed with separate prep and recovery zones that can flex to accommodate the demand. A separate patient discharge exit is provided in recovery so that patients do not have to pass through the prep and waiting areas to leave the ASC after surgery.

The ASC renovation included all new infrastructure upgrades, including new air handling units with HEPA filtration and humidity controls.

Photography by Josh Beeman Photography

The MRI renovation and expansion project included a building addition and renovations to the existing MRI department to incorporate a new Philips Ingenia Ambition 1.5T MRI, equipment room, patient holding area, control room, offices, support spaces and a refreshed waiting room.

The design team at MP worked closely with the equipment vendor, user group and consultant engineers to resolve technical challenges inherent to the project while providing an enhanced patient experience.

Brigham & Women’s Hospital 12,300 SF endoscopy center renovation included a three-phased modernization of the existing department and expansion into the existing vascular imaging suite. The project created eight licensed procedure rooms and expanded the number of patient pre-op and post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) to include 21 stretcher bays. The renovation allowed for the PACU to be sized in accordance with current standards and increased the quality of space and care provided to patients.

The project phasing ensured both the endoscopy center and vascular imaging suite could continue treating patients during construction by relocating vascular imaging to a separate area before starting the phased renovation of the expanded endoscopy center.

The detailed programming for this space was crucial and involved multiple meetings with the end users to design a functional space. The renovated endoscopy center now includes a reception waiting room, a PACU with 21 stretcher bays, including a patient-of-size room, two nurse stations, and an exam room, along with eight procedure rooms, expanded fluoroscopy imaging, and new pass-through scope processors and drying cabinets. The three distinct zones of the PACU, procedure rooms, and scope processing rooms are clearly defined.

The suite utilizes BWH’s main design standards for furniture and finishes while subtly incorporating new elements to provide a distinct, modern look. Subtle tones of blue reinforce the feel of a calming environment. The PACU includes linear and perimeter lighting around the core to provide comfortable lighting for patients in stretchers. The curved angles in the soffits create clear wayfinding for patients to the two nurse stations. A floor pattern provides aesthetic interest and visual separation for walking pathways and storage. Unique, curved lighting was also an important visual component in the design of the waiting area and guides patients’ entry to the PACU.

The suite consists of four procedure rooms, two mobile fluoroscopy procedure rooms, and two fixed fluoroscopy rooms specifically designed for Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures, making a total of eight procedure rooms. The design of all the procedure rooms starts with an equipment and monitor boom positioned at the center of the room. A procedural zone with LED fixtures provides either normal lighting or green lighting to reduce perceived light levels and enhance the visibility of procedural monitors, while also increasing overall lighting levels in the room.

Margulies Perruzzi designed the 10,000 square foot New England Scope center for Reliant Medical Group (formerly Fallon Clinic). The outpatient endoscopic center includes four procedure rooms with recovery areas, patient prep areas, waiting areas, and exam and consult rooms.

Formerly an open warehouse, the largely windowless building was transformed into a welcoming, comfortable outpatient services facility. The project team created a new building from the existing structure, reusing only the slab and steel frame to create the new exterior and interior design.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s 6,000 square foot addition in Cape Cod includes two new physician exam/treatment rooms and eight new outpatient therapy rooms. A patient/family resource room was created, and a new multi-purpose room on the first floor will be used for wellness and education programs and community-based support groups.

MP redesigned the front entrance and expanded the lobby, registration, and waiting areas to improve workflow, enhance accessibility for patients with mobility impairments, and provide private spaces for registration. The expansion and renovation of the hospital was a complex, multi-phase project that required careful coordination among the clinical staff, design team, and contractors. Phased over ten months, MP worked closely with construction manager Columbia Construction to sequence construction work, permitting the hospital to maintain normal operations without impacting inpatient and outpatient care.

AWARD-WINNER

Altro Flooring Award

LEAN DESIGN

This project utilized Lean planning practices.

This endoscopy renovation project at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center included the relocation and expansion of the endoscopy department within the hospital. The new center totals approximately 14,000 SF and includes nine endoscopy procedure rooms, 23 prep and recovery bays, and a new scope processing system.

Two of the procedure rooms are designed for advanced procedures and include fixed fluoroscopic Imaging equipment. This design is one of the first in the country and the second largest installation in the world of scope pass through washing and drying cabinets which greatly reduces the risks of cross contamination and improved digital tracking throughout every step of the scopes use and reprocessing.

The project also included a cost-effective approach to repositioning the building’s façade to create a dedicated entrance for endoscopy patients and greatly improved the workflows for staff efficiency and improved patient experiences.

Southern Maine Healthcare, in partnership with Maine Behavioral Healthcare, is expanding access to behavioral healthcare services in Sanford, Maine with a new 5-bed emergency department acute psychiatric (EDAP) suite and 38 new inpatient behavioral healthcare beds, distributed on two inpatient floors.

The EDAP is designed around a small commons for patient access to communal spaces other than their patient room within the protective confines of the suite. The staff nurse station and security use the existing geometry of the building to provide clear sight lines within the suite. The program includes peer counseling for crisis management and the new EDAP will provide a first step in the behavioral health admissions process to the inpatient floors where patients can be safely evaluated.

The inpatient floors are designed around the community space and individual therapy rooms, including those for group therapy, quiet activities, and a new roof terrace on the first floor. The new units are secured with access through an interlocking sally port. Patients are provided with individual bathrooms, and anti-ligature design has been provided throughout the patient occupied areas. Art that highlights nature is incorporated at a variety of seating areas throughout the unit to bring nature inside the building. Seclusion rooms have been provided at both units but other spaces such as comfort rooms are being utilized to de-escalate patients before they need to be restrained.

The units also incorporate new highly efficient anti-ligature chilled beams to heat and cool the new floors, utilizing existing duct work to maintain existing ceiling heights, and removing the prior fan coil units at the perimeter windows. The project has also re-used the existing plumbing chases and wet walls to reduce cost and minimize impact of the construction on the operating rooms below.

Winchester Hospital’s Breast Care Center relocated to 12,000 SF on the third floor in 200 Unicorn Park building which MP had renovated into a medical office building. Patients at Winchester Hospital’s Breast Care Center receive high quality, state-of-the-art comprehensive breast care from a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

MP was tasked to design a comfortable and attractive space while maintaining high patient satisfaction ratings. Our collaborative design approach incorporated 15 stakeholders made up of doctors, nurses, administrators, and facilities staff representing the center’s varied services. LEAN strategies were incorporated from the very beginning to outline complex patient flows and develop a design that minimized travel and patient wait times. MP utilized the LEAN design methodology of DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify) to understand Winchester Hospital’s current processes and to develop future solutions.

MP also incorporated evidence-based design strategies by creating mockup sessions. Using one of the existing treatment rooms as a testing environment for national benchmarking trends helps clinical staff envision what the space will be like (instead of looking at floor plans on paper).