March 2010 
Medical planners must master the art of facilitation and graphic representation in order to be truly effective leaders in the effort of planning. In order to better understand ways to be an effective facilitator, I have taken the initiative to attend several presentations and workshops. Last month, I was able to attend Houston’s Architecture for Health Exhibit and Social Event. Several professionals attend for networking and marketing, but also for the discussion panel following the social event. This year brought interesting points of view from several leaders in healthcare, including Joe Powell, Leigh Hantho, Scot Latimer, Bill Daigneau and Jill Pearsall.

Also last month, I had the opportunity to attend the Advisory Board Session. Presentations on the trends in healthcare, evaluating operational efficiency and recent research findings helped paint the future of the industry. Knowledge of these trends and research findings gives practitioners, especially planners, an advantage in the industry. A difficult reality about planning is trying to grasp the fact that the building/campus you are planning now will incorporate strategies and technologies that will ultimately be obsolete as soon as it opens its doors.

The end of the month included a three-day, in-house work session on LEAN healthcare design. I learned several lessons in facilitation from this group, especially effective ways to teach a concept, adapting to the needs of the group and creating a smooth transition from one day to the next. The presenters also gave several applicable tools to use in the day-to-day operations at our firm.

You  can read more about our Lean Design ideas in our Knowledge Cafe. Take a look here.

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