When conducting medical facility master planning there is somuch to do, so much to consider, and so much to plan! Ialways advise that the best approach is to view the building systemas a whole in order to establish a comprehensive strategy foraccommodating the present and future needs of the whole facility.

A facility master plan (FMP) is an integrated,flexible framework that ensures that any improvements are executedas effectively, cost-and time-efficiently as possible, and thatthey are in compliance with all relevant industry/building codesand standards. Not having a FMP, or an incomplete one, canlead to time consuming revisions or costly change orders (read moreabout Facility Master Planning here).

For healthcare facilities, which are typically veryhigh-cost and energy-intense real estate investments, a plannedapproach to upgrading aging equipment or mapping out cost-savingenergy efficiency improvements is particularly critical. Aneffective medical facility master plan should take into accountstatistics such as the hospital's services, census, plans forstrategic growth and communities from which to draw the targetedpatients in order to form a solid business model for the executionof any improvements. This requires the careful collection,analysis, and interpretation of existing healthcare facility data. These numbers must then be translated into optimized buildingsquare footage with functional adjacencies and employee work flowand patient care efficiencies front of mind.