case study:

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
Emergency Department Renovation
Chicago, IL

Challenges
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center commissioned Jensen & Halstead to improve the efficiency and patient experience within their Emergency Department. In the former configuration, the entrance was in an awkward place, the treatment areas were not private enough, and the patient flow was ineffective. In addition, Illinois Masonic wanted to add a new Psychiatric Emergency wing. The biggest challenge of all was that the department needed to stay open to patients during construction.

Solutions
First, the pedestrian entrance was moved away from the ambulance entry to create a new more welcoming area.  Once inside, the patient flow was also improved with three new triage rooms separate from the reception desk.  This arrangement decreases the initial wait time for patients and is more efficient for the staff.  Another major improvement was to convert all twenty-four treatment spaces from curtained areas to private rooms, most with sliding glass doors.  In addition, a separate state-of-the-art Psychiatric Emergency Department wing was added, complete with three private rooms and its own dedicated staff.

In all, this renovation project made the Emergency Department run more smoothly, improved the patient experience and added additional space for services not previously offered at this facility. The project was completed in five phases to allow the department to continue to operate during construction.