In the complex world of healthcare construction, a crucial partnership often goes overlooked: the collaboration between technical designers and Health IT/IS (Information Services) departments. Technology design firms, composed of engineers responsible for the design phase, often lack familiarity with the requirements to seamlessly navigate the intricacies of modern HIT departments. Their role traditionally involves reporting to owners, owners’ representatives, or architects, leaving them outside the scope of day-to-day IT operations. However, after their designs are finalized, a significant burden falls onto the shoulders of healthcare IT departments, which are responsible for budgeting, planning, implementing, deploying, testing, and integrating the technology into the future facility.
This creates a challenge. Today’s healthcare IT departments are already stretched thin, managing everything from cybersecurity threats to evolving patient care technologies. The additional pressure of overseeing complex technology projects in new healthcare facilities, including coordinating multiple systems and ensuring interoperability, can be overwhelming. While technical design engineers play a critical role in shaping the technology infrastructure, they leave the full range of responsibilities that arise after design is complete to the HIT department.
At this juncture, the expertise of a Health IT professional with experience in healthcare facility projects becomes indispensable. The role of Health IT in post-design planning and implementation, once an afterthought, has become essential as technology advances continue to reshape the future of healthcare delivery.
The Evolving Role of Healthcare IT
The evolution of healthcare technology has redefined what it means to build and manage healthcare infrastructure. As hospitals become increasingly dependent on advanced systems such as ambient listening tools embedded in the electronic health records (EHRs), complex telemedicine platforms, and IoT, the demand on IT departments has grown exponentially. Integrating these systems is no longer a straightforward task. It requires a deep understanding of the healthcare technology ecosystem, including data privacy regulations, cybersecurity measures, and the unique workflows of clinical and administrative staff.
Technical designers, while experts in their fields, are often not exposed to the specific needs and workflows of healthcare IT departments. Their primary focus is on designing the physical and technical specifications of systems, from structured cabling to network infrastructure, and they are not exposed to the vast amount of implementation efforts required with applications and integrations. Once these designs are handed off, healthcare IT teams are left with the monumental task of planning, implementing, and managing the deployment of those systems in real-world environments—often without the necessary support.
A New Model: Health IT Expertise in Action
This is where collaboration with Health IT experts can make a transformative difference. At Equinox HIT, we understand the complexities involved in bridging the gap between technical design and real-world implementation. With our extensive experience in managing large-scale healthcare construction projects, we specialize in streamlining the implementation process for healthcare IT departments. We complement and support technical designers by offering the in-depth knowledge and hands-on expertise needed to take a project from the design phase to full operational readiness.
Bridging the gap between Technical Designers and Health IT, our approach involves early and continuous collaboration with the IT department, identifying potential challenges before they arise and ensuring that the design translates effectively into the future healthcare environment. By focusing on the critical post-design phases—planning, implementation, deployment, testing, and integration—we relieve the burden on internal IT departments and allow them to focus on what they do best: supporting patient care.
Supporting the Future of Healthcare Technology
As technology continues to evolve, so must the way we approach healthcare construction projects. The traditional handoff from technical designers to IT departments is no longer sufficient. Today’s healthcare environments require a more integrated, collaborative approach—one that takes into account the complexities of modern IT systems from the earliest stages of design and carries through to the final stages of implementation. Serving as the missing link between design and execution, ensuring that hospitals of the future are not only built with the latest technology but are also ready to fully leverage that technology from day one.
In today’s healthcare landscape, it’s time to rethink how we build hospitals and other healthcare facilities. IT departments deserve the support of experts who understand the unique demands of their work, and who can help them deliver on the promise of technology-driven healthcare. By partnering with Equinox HIT, healthcare organizations can ensure that their technology investments are fully realized—and that their IT teams are empowered to focus on delivering the best possible care to patients.
Equinox HIT is your HIT construction partner. For more information on how Equinox HIT can help your organization successfully integrate IT into healthcare construction projects, please contact us today.
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References
Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. “Leveraging Technology and Organizational Science to Enhance Teamwork in Healthcare.” Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, 2023. Link
Khristich, S. “Interoperability in Healthcare IT: Medical System Integration.” Tateeda, 2023. Link
Kuziemsky, C.E., Abraham, J., Reddy, M.C.. “Characterizing Collaborative Workflow and Health Information Technology.” Springer, 2019. Link
Moralez, M. “Collaboration is a Must-Have When Designing Healthcare Facilities.” Healthcare Facilities Today, 2023. Link