TowerPinkster was tasked by Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital to design their Ambulatory Pediatric Center located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

With the development of the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital (HDVCH) at Spectrum Health’s Medical Center Campus, the Ambulatory Pediatric Department opted to consolidate services by moving into a single facility adjacent to the new Children’s Hospital. LEAN methodologies were a driving factor of the design, as new operational practices have been integrated. This “future state” design created an environment that promotes compassionate care, excellence and innovation.

TowerPinkster teamed with FKP Architects, a firm specializing in ambulatory pediatrics and LEAN process design. Together, we inventoried and interviewed the existing pediatric departments to gather data on the operations, size and overall patient experience from registration to check-out. The findings revealed that consolidating all of the existing services into the new 48,000 SF facility would not be an option, so our team helped Spectrum prioritize the various services to determine the proper mix of pediatric units.

As part of the LEAN process improvement plan, our team designed a future state process to drive the design of the clinic. The plan will reduce the number of steps between check-in and check-out, shortening each patient’s length of stay. Designed around a series of modules, electronic scheduling and monitoring will help the clinic maintain flexible day-to-day operations. These modules are shared by multiple departments which allows for future growth of certain specialties, like orthopedics.

In mapping this process out, it is estimated that the overall patient process will improve by 25%. As ambulatory pediatric care continues to evolve and expand, the design will provide space for changing operations and services.

Architect: TowerPinkster Photography: Justin Maconochie

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