New Article to Be Published on Trends in Radiology Design and Operations

For Immediate Release (06/10/09)

Architecture for Radiology, LLP --- the only architecture firm in the United States that specializes exclusively in radiology facility planning and design --- is pleased to announce the upcoming publication of an article on recent trends in radiology design and radiology planning.

The article will be published in the July 2009 edition of Hospital Newspaper.

The article discusses the latest trends in radiology design and radiology planning, including the following issues:

- The fields of radiology and design for radiology have undergone numerous changes due to groundbreaking advances in technology,
- Development of digital imaging and PACS (picture archiving and communication systems)
- Rethinking the radiology environment from the point of view of patients, radiologist and staff, with the general goals of radiology facilities which increase patient and staff comfort, patient privacy, staff safety, and greater efficiency, speed, and through-put in the radiology workflow..
- Significant increases in worker productivity and improvements in the radiology workflow
- Eliminating film developing facilities, and also eliminating --- or at least drastically reducing --- the need for physical storage of hard copy films.
- Increases in legibility and reliability of scans
- Quicker responsiveness to patients.
- Reading room design.
- Ergonometrics for the new digital reading room
- Contemporary reading room must allow for future adaptability.
- Making the radiologists’ reading stations more comfortable, easier to use, and allowing for more control over the environment. Some more specific reading room design initiatives are listed below:
- Limiting Distractions
- Climate Control
- Seating and Positioning Adjustability
- Lighting specifications
- Unification of Systems
- Advances in scanning technologies. Among the most significant: 3.0T MRI’s are the upcoming standard in MRI design, multi-slice CT’s are the same for cat scan design, and digital mammography in the latest in mammography design.
- Mobile scanning equipment, such as portable CT
- Improvements in patient’s experience
- Philips “Ambient Experience”
- Relative growth of private practice radiology over academic, hospital-based radiology
- Opportunities for further development and improvement in the design of radiology facilities
- Patient comfort within the scanning machines s
- Advantages to separating healthy outpatients from very sick inpatients
- Separating women into a women’s center vs. co-mingling male and female throughout
- How the equipment will be changed out in future vs. concern exclusively with initial equipment access to space
- Green design --- eco-friendly design that is good for the environment as well as the patient --- is working its way through the healthcare environment, including the radiology department.
- Increased use of interventional radiology and surgical codes

The above article was written by the Ian Janer and William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA, of the well-known radiology design firm of Architecture for Radiology. The firm’s principle, Mr. Bernstein, is a well-known architect and radiology consultant in radiology department planning and design. Mr. Bernstein is a graduate of the Yale University School of Architecture, who has specialized in healthcare design and construction for over 30 years.

About Architecture for Radiology, LLP: This architectural company specializes in radiology planning and design. The firm is an award-winning architectural design firm specializing in the design and planning of radiology facilities including experienced radiology room designers.
The firm takes pride in providing the highest level of healthcare and hospital design work, with additional expertise in sustainable radiology facilities, energy saving measures for radiology facilities, cost reduction strategies for radiology facilities, radiology facility safety and patient safety.

For more information about radiology planning, design and construction, please contact:

Architecture for Radiology, LLP
59 West 19th Street - 6A New York, NY 10011
Office: 212.645.0900 - Fax: 212.463.9898
Email: info@arch4rad.com
www.arch4rad.com

New Article Published on Radiology Office Planning and Design

For Immediate Release (05/27/09)

New Article Published on Radiology Office Planning and Design

Architecture for Radiology, LLP --- the only architecture firm in the United States that specializes exclusively in radiology facility planning and design --- is pleased to announce the publication of an article on how the concept of universal room design can address the commonplace problem that decision-making on the purchase of major medical equipment often lags the schedule for upfront planning and design of the radiology department or radiology practice.

The article has been published in the June 2009 edition of Hospital Newspaper.

The article is entitled: “Utilizing Universal Room Design in Fast Track Healthcare Projects Involving Major Medical Equipment Purchases”.

The article discusses the latest hospital planning and hospital design trends, in the area of radiology offices, including the following issues:
- Why does the architect need the equipment specs?
- Types of engineering infrastructure involved in a radiology project
- What happens when radiologists and/or radiology administrators change their minds about equipment specifications
- How much impact do changes to medical equipment specifications have on a design and construction project schedule and budget?
- If you do change your mind about a major medical equipment purchase, when is the best time to do it working with consultants radiology such as Architecture for Radiology?
- How can the design of what is called a "universal room" mitigate to some degree the costs (both financial and in terms of schedule delay) of equipment changes?

The article was written by the firm’s principle, well-known radiology architect, William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA. Mr. Bernstein is a graduate of the Yale University School of Architecture, who has specialized in healthcare design and construction for over 30 years.

About Architecture for Radiology, LLP: This architectural company specializes in radiology planning and design. The firm is an award-winning architectural design firm specializing in the design and planning of radiology facilities including experienced radiology room designers.
The firm takes pride in providing the highest level of healthcare and hospital design work, with additional expertise in sustainable healthcare facilities, energy saving measures for hospitals, cost reduction strategies for healthcare facilities, healthcare facility safety and patient safety.

For more information about radiology facility planning, design and construction, please contact:
William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA
Architecture for Radiology, LLP
59 West 19th Street - 6A New York, NY 10011
Office: 212.645.0900 - Fax: 212.463.9898
Email: info@arch4rad.com
www.arch4rad.com

Architecture for Radiology Receives New Outpatient Radiology Center Commission

For Immediate Release (05/11/09)

Architecture for Radiology (the only architecture firm in the world focused exclusively on radiology design and construction) is pleased to announce that it has been selected to design a new outpatient radiology center, within a prominent community health center, in Boston, MA.

The project includes radiology planning and radiology room design of multiple radiology modalities including ultrasound room design, digital mammography room design and digital radiography room design. In addition, there is a separate women's center will have typical support space such as dressing rooms, offices, reception and waiting.

An important consideration in the planning of this radiology renovation, is the requirement that the radiology center remain in continuous operation throughout the renovation. This requires careful consideration of the flow and functionality of the radiology department, and a phased plan for the project.

The project will be designed to reinforce the important role of the community health center in the health of the surrounding community.

About Architecture for Radiology, LLP:

Founded in 2003, this radiology consulting firm specializes exclusively in radiology design and construction. The firm is run by William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA, a well-known radiology architect. The firm is highly experienced with state-of-the-art radiology practice including leading edge equipment, planning strategies, and PACs implementation. Amongst the firm’s specialty radiology consulting services are: radiology master plans, hospital radiology departments, outpatient radiology facilities, and radiology room design including: ct room design, MRI room design, mammography room design, linear accelerator room design, cat scan room design, and
nuclear medicine room design.

The firm’s radiology work has been published extensively --- see section below on Radiology Publications.

Representative Radiology, Healthcare and Laboratory Publications:
- "Design of a State-of-the-Art Research Radiology Center"© William N. Bernstein, Hospital Newspaper
- "Universal Room Design Can Mitigate Change Costs", © William N. Bernstein, Aunt Minnie.com
- “The Planetree Approach”, © William N. Bernstein, Hospital Newspaper
- “Trading Spaces”, © William N. Bernstein, Advance for Imaging and Oncology
- “Ten Points of the New Healthcare Design", © William N. Bernstein, Hospital Newspaper
- "Facility Planning Implications of the New MRI Safety Guidelines", © William N. Bernstein, Hospital Newspaper
- "Finding the Right Space for a New Imaging Center", © William N. Bernstein, AuntMinnie.com
- "On the Front Lines: A NYC Hospital Engineer's First Hand Account of Sept. 11", Health Facilities Management, © William N. Bernstein (with Michael Rawlings)
- "Floor Planning In a Nutshell", © M. J. Tamas, Advance for Administrators in Radiology
- “Architects Double-Team the Future of Radiology with Experience and a Can-Do Attitude”, © P. Rohland, Advance for Administrators in Radiology
- "Renovated Space, Skywalk `Reconnect' - 4 Floors Up", Health Facilities Management

For further Information about planning, designing and building a state-of-the-art radiology facility, contact Architecture for Radiology:

William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA
Principal
Architecture for Radiology
59 West 19th Street - 6A
New York, NY 10011
Office: 212.645.0900 -
Fax: 212.463.9898
Email: wb@arch4rad.com
Web: www.arch4rad.com

Just-in-Time Healthcare Project Management Services

As the economy slows, and construction budgets and schedules are cut, clients may wish to consider Just-in-Time Healthcare Project Management.

Unlike conventional Healthcare Project Management services --- which start at the beginning of the project and conclude at the close-out --- Just-in-Time Healthcare Project Management is essentially an a la carte program for introducing Healthcare project management services at what are often crisis points in the life of a construction project.

The most common target of Just-in-Time Healthcare Project Management is a project that is in trouble, as an example: a project that is over-budget, missing critical project deadlines and/or where construction team dynamics have deteriorated and need to be reconstituted to allow the team to function more effectively.

The most common insertion points for Just-in-Time Healthcare Project Management are as follows:
- site selection
- programming
- design
- construction bid and award
- construction phase
- post construction

The most common Just-in-Time Healthcare Project Management services fall into one or more of these areas:
- Cost: Cost Reduction, Cost Control, and Cost Monitoring
- Schedule: Schedule Reduction, Schedule Control, Schedule Monitoring
- Approvals: Expediting approval at the Planning Department, Building Department, Fire Department and/or State Health Department
- Close Out: Punchlist, Close Out Procedures and Documents, Commissioning, Financial Reconciliation/Resolution

For more information about Just-in-Time Healthcare Project Management, please contact Healthcare project management consultants and Healthcare owner's representatives, Empire Projects, Inc.:

William N. Bernstein, PMI, AIA -
President
Empire Projects, Inc.
(Healthcare Project Management Consultants and Owner's Representatives)59 West 19th Street -
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212-463-0800
Fax: 212-463-9898
Email: info@empireprojects.com
www.empireprojects.com

New Program to Reduce Healthcare Construction Costs in 2009

New Program to Reduce Healthcare Construction Costs in 2009

With a greater need than ever to cut healthcare costs, more and more healthcare clients have asked well-known healthcare project management firm, Empire Projects, Inc, a simple question: "How Can We Reduce Construction Costs in 2009?"

In response, the firm has developed a concise Construction Cost Reduction Program for clients looking to reduce their healthcare capital costs for construction in 2009.

The cost control program is set up to value engineer projects in detail, at (5) critical project stages: programming, schematic design, construction documents, construction bidding, and construction.

The program can be utilized for all (5) critical project phases, or can be employed at just one or more of the phases.

Potential healthcare construction cost savings are usually a minimum of 5% of construction cost, and can exceed 20% in certain cases.

The construction cost savings generated through this program greatly exceed the fees charged by EPI to implement it. In addition, the value engineering process creates leaner and better projects.

For more information on how this program can help control and reduce your healthcare construction costs in 2009, please contact:

William N. Bernstein, AIA -
President
Empire Projects, Inc.
(Healthcare Project Management and Owner's Representative Services for Design and Construction Projects)59 West 19th Street -
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212-463-0800 I
Fax: 212-463-9898 I
Email: info@empireprojects.com
www.empireprojects.com

Construction Safety Website

I found a new construction safety website that is worth a visit. The address of the site is www.constructionsafety.org.

Construction safety is an important topic for all involved in the design and construction industry, whether you are an architect, designer, engineer, contractor, sub-contractor, manufacturer, equipment supplier, facility manager or owner. Construction accidents can be reduced through knowledge, preparation, and execution of safe construction practices on every job site.

This website about construction safety offers every member of the design and construction team the opportunity to learn more about construction safety. Help to make your construction site safer starting today. Safe construction sites and safe construction practices help to prevent accidents. As a further benefit, a focus on construction safety contributes to a more professional work environment, leading to better quality work with fewer delays.

What you will find on www.constructionsafety.org: Construction Safety News, Products and Services Focused on Construction Safety, Services Focused on Construction Safety, Construction Safety Training and Books and Articles Written About Construction Safety.

Reading Room Design Article Features the Work of Architecture for Radiology

12/26/08

Architecture for Radiology (the only architecture firm in the world focused exclusively on radiology design and construction) is pleased to announce that its radiology design work has been featured in a new article on the subject of reading room design.

The article is entitled “Illuminating Reading Room Design for Better Reading Strategies”. It was written by Justine Cadet, and published in the December 2008 issue of Health Imaging & IT Magazine.

The article addresses a number of key design parameters for reading room design, and would be a good introduction to the subject for radiologists, radiology administrators and/or radiology consultants involved in radiology room design, including the planning and design of reading rooms.

Amongst the topics covered in the article are: workflow within the reading environment, lighting; acoustics; HVAC; privacy vs. collaboration, ergonomics; standardization vs. customization, and design materials and colors.

Architecture for Radiology’s well-known radiology room design principal - William N. Bernstein, AIA – is quoted extensively in the article.

About Architecture for Radiology, LLP:

Founded in 2003, this architecture design firm specializes exclusively in radiology design and construction. The firm is highly experienced with state-of-the-art radiology practice including leading edge equipment, planning strategies, and PACs implementation. AFR is experienced with all modalities, and with all of the major radiology equipment manufacturers. The firm is a well-known consultant in radiology design, radiology planning, radiology room design, ct room design, mri room design, nuclear medicine room design, cat scan room design, mammography room design and linear accelerator room design. The firm’s radiology work has been published extensively.

For further information about radiology planning and design, including reading room design, please contact Architecture for Radiology, LLP:

William N. Bernstein, AIA
Principal
Architecture for Radiology, LLP
59 West 19th Street - 6A New York, NY 10011
Office: 212.645.0900 Fax: 212.463.9898
Email: wb@arch4rad.com
www.arch4rad.com