Background
A Northeast nonprofit health system with four hospitals was seeking to expand its ambulatory network with an alternative delivery model that would allow for:
• Speed to market
• Cost predictability and efficiency
• Operating model efficiency
• Competitive advantage
• Consistent branding
• Future flexibility in terms of expansions or renovations
Challenge
To achieve these objectives with a large ambulatory rollout, the health system needed to act quickly and discretely in order to maintain its competitive advantage.
Solution
The health system engaged Hammes Healthcare for an ambulatory planning engagement. Two unique aspects of this engagement included the use of Hammes Precision™ for site deployment recommendations and the development of ambulatory prototypes.
Site Deployment Recommendations
Using Hammes’ proprietary site location analytics tool, Hammes Precision™, Hammes conducted a seed point analysis for the health system within specific geographic regions. Seed points represent potential intersections for future ambulatory care facilities. The purpose of the seed point analysis was to identify priorities and to rank order seed points within the specific markets in a fact-based quantifiable manner, to help determine optimal locations for consideration.
Recommendations on services to be provided within each market were driven by population, market and competitor assessments, market share position and future market share goals by region, and physician supply and demand studies at the sub-market level. Hammes recommended market expansion strategies utilizing the ranked seed points in combination with a recommendation on a small, medium, and large prototype, with identified service lines based on demographics, market position, and competition for each location. By utilizing Hammes Precision™, this engagement was completed within a short timeframe.
Prototype Strategy & Development
Hammes also helped develop ambulatory facility prototypes, which could be leveraged to drive competitive positioning, operational standardization and efficiency, and achieve other key health system goals. Hammes developed target market size and share capture projections to determine which facility types/sizes were needed as well as which clinical services would be needed for each facility. Facility prototypes were then developed for the required facilities. These were essentially a “kit” of components with detailed design documents for all modules, pods, and standard rooms. The final deliverable included facility type and site development standards, clinical services by facility type, ideal practice concept floor plans, standardized room types, and budget and schedule templates. The prototypes also included expansion module strategies.
