Are Hospitals Too Fancy?

[Kraniac]

Well?

Does this affect healthcare cost in the long run?

Could this money spent on glitzy (an they're everywhere), even if it's raised by private donors, be used to make the actual system better?

When I was a young, starving artist with no health insurance, I took advantage of the public health that was available to me. I found it to be great and staffed with incredible people. Once you got past the front lines the actual facilities were adequate, got the job done, and the people were freakin' heroes to me..I found it to be inspiring in a spartan setting.

My Mom is very frail and is in and out of one hospital in my Area..Rush Presbyterian, in Chicago..outlandishly stupid, giant atrium lobby with this senseless sort of a tube of glass terrarium thing in the middle..the space is about 3 stories tall and the square footage is crazy..empty..nobody pays one damn bit of attention to this waste of money..just irks me when i walk in and it makes me wonder about the topic of name here.

[Kraniac]

double, sorry

[Speedy]

A non-fancy building isn't all that much cheaper. And, over the long term, the building is the least expensive part of the hospital equation.

[TLB]

The cynic in me says when you are rolling in cash you need to increase your spending or you'll lose your tax exempt status.

[mrbigstuff]

typically, the capital campaigns that hospitals run are similar to those of universities, meaning that they get rich folks to donate millions based on naming rights to the new building, wing, greenhouse, stairwell...

of course, the maintenance of these buildings may be higher than "normal" buildings.

some of this design is meant to relax you when you enter the building, from the color scheme to the wall finishes.

but, yeah, I agree with you on the underlying problem this would seem to portend.

[cbelt3]

1 - "non Profit". Means blow it on featherbedding if you've got it.
2- Patient 'satisfaction' is being used to measure insurance and Medicare reimbursements. (Along with medical factors).

The difference between civic owned hospitals and suburban / corporate hospitals is somewhat nuts.

Civic hospitals ? You're in the 1960's. Medical care is excellent, but amenities are pretty simple. So what ? You're sick as heck. You really don't care that there is a Starbucks.

Suburban / Corporate hospitals ? Valet parking ! 5 star treatment. Shmancy rooms set up like hotel rooms. The 'cafeteria' is a gourmet focused food court. But... so what ? You're sick as heck !

[Kraniac]

There are studies out there that say patients don't give a dang.

I don't buy the notion that building a fancy building vs building a non-fancy building is not that much more expensive.

I know it's more expensive and not just a little..labor is higher because you have to use folks that are experienced with the materials they're installing..the materials can be significantly more expensive, engineering creeps in and so does design, custom made materials everywhere in this building up there..that's pricey...This building's price tag was 667 million..That's the public number..Im quite sure they PR'd on the release of that figure...who'll know, that number changes depending on what you click on.

I also feel that a building like the one I pictured up there is complete waste of air space above the rectangular part of the building..that's a designers whim and all of the air around those curves and angles is a waste.

and ongoing maintenance is a significant issue..though, it's questionable in some cases as to whether maintenance costs are higher..fancy and non fancy can designed to be easily maintainable.

Yes, i know a lot of this privately funded..but, in the end, what's the point of this over the top stuff? Does it have real,constructive legs if patients don't care..could the money be used to subsidize programs for people who are challenged in any number of ways?

[jdc]

Would it be too cynical if I said we love to embrace excessive waste and greed?

[rgG]

jdc wrote:
Would it be too cynical if I said we love to embrace excessive waste and greed?

Yes, but still true, so, so true.

[macphanatic]

The nice, new hospital near me doesn't exactly have a stellar medical service record. Unfortunately, the older hospital isn't great either.