The Role of Construction in Healthcare Consumerism (EP 5) Melisa Keifer, Vice President, Project Development, Planning, Design, and Construction at Hospital for Special Surgery, and Supina Mapon, Healthcare Strategist for DPR Construction

Constructing with Care

Welcome to episode five of Constructing with Care, a Podcast for healthcare executives to discuss topics affecting capital projects today. Today, your host, Leslie Tullio, is joined by Melissa Kiefer, Project development, Planning Design, and Construction for the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York, and Supina Mapon, Healthcare Strategist from DPR Construction. In this episode, they discuss the role of construction in healthcare consumerism.

Key Takeaways:

[1:08] Leslie explains the topic of discussion for today’s episode.

[2:02] What core component does HSS focus on to maintain its premier status?

[3:00] How does the building fit into the strategy of providing the best healthcare possible?

[3:41] Why is consumerism in healthcare not growing at the same pace of other industries?

[5:16] Supina talks about how healthcare patients as consumers differ from retail consumers.

[7:43] What part does construction play in the pressures arising from consumerism in healthcare?

[10:04] Does Melissa consider the local community and connections beneficial for HSS’s building projects?

[11:48] How does being a leader affect their capital expansion projects?

[14:37] How has digital healthcare changed how in-person care is delivered?

[16:11] Supina talks about the acceleration imperative and its meaning to healthcare providers today.

[18:33] How does DPR mitigate complications when changing a design once a project has started?

[20:48] What is the general constructor’s role in ensuring phases run smoothly?

[22:43] Melissa and Supina talk about strategies they have implemented during activation and transition.

[27:54] What advice do Melissa and Supina want healthcare leaders to take away from today’s conversation?

Mentioned in this episode:

Constructing with Care

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Read the article “Construction’s Role in Healthcare Consumerism”.

Tweetables and Quotes:

Quotes for Melissa Kiefer

• It's important to Hospital for Special Surgery that we continue to invest in our quality of care through our built environment. We can't maintain the investment that we make in research and education unless we continue to grow our physical presence.

• Part of the challenge of keeping up with construction is that we're often designing and thinking through problems three years before anyone will step foot in the door.

• The built environment ecosystem needs to think about how we preserve the dignity of people that take part in bringing patient care spaces to life.

Quotes for Supina Mapon

• Until we can break down access barriers, achieve price information transparency, and offer viable and affordable treatment options, healthcare consumers won't be able to achieve the full purchasing power that we see in the retail space. 

• Going forward, we must look at care that encompasses the right care, right time, right place, right cost, and NOW the right experience. 

• It's imperative for health systems to take consumer and patient satisfaction seriously and to empower patients to change the narrative from being passive recipients to more active participants in their own care.