This process isn’t straightforward and has plenty of variables that make each hospital patient move unique, from the number of patients to their types and acuity levels to available resources and staff to assist with the move. Our Transition and Activation team within Blue Cottage of CannonDesign hasa breadth and depth of experience answering the question: How does a hospital efficiently and safely move its patients from an existing building to a new hospital?
Our team, which includes a cohort of registered nurses with years of practice in both patient care and hospital logistics, has ample experience navigating this process alongside healthcare organizations across the country. Each unique patient move experience brings a wealth of knowledge, informs and enhances the next move, and has led to an abundant collection of lessons learned, summarized below.
- Champions matter
- Data is king
- Timing is everything
- Standardization is key
- No such thing as too much support
- Safety is the North Star
Champions matter: Identify the right partners and resources from the start
A dedicated team is essential. An outside consultant can provide needed leadership and guidance, but it is also crucial that each healthcare organization identify a Patient Move Champion or committee to lead efforts and staffing on their end. The role of a Patient Move Champion is typically filled by a clinical director or manager level staff member who is well respected, has exceptional communication skills and can effectively manage and direct large teams. This is a time consuming, hands-on role which is vital to carefully staff.
When the new Valleywise Health Medical Center opened in mid-2024, a team structure was established, building and expanding on their existing Hospital Incident Command Structure. This ensured roles and responsibilities were clearly defined, including ownership of the various planning aspects of the patient move, meticulous planning for preparation and receipt of patients, planning for staffing needs, family and visitor support, as well as in-depth internal and external communications to all involved and impacted.
Data is king!
Much of the patient move process is determined by a hospital’s own internal data: how many patients need to be moved, how many steps it takes to walk from a patient’s former bed to the new one, how many elevator rides are needed, how many staff members are assisting with each individual patient move and so much more.
Simulation modeling software can translate all this data and create a myriad of “what if?” scenarios. The model helps healthcare organizations make well-informed decisions concerning staffing, resource allocation, scheduling, travel routes and contingency plans to ensure a concrete plan is in place for the hospital’s patient move and grand opening.
In the largest expansion in their history Blue Cottage employed simulation modeling to rigorously plan Boston Children’s patient move of more than 100 fragile and acutely ill neonatal and pediatric patients when relocating to their Hale Family Building. Modeling helped predict how long the move would take to the new 600,000-sf facility, as well as inform countless planning decisions. These models had the built-in ability to manipulate multiple variables including patient census, travel time between origin and destination, the number of teams it would take as well as informing whether the units should stagger start times or move concurrently versus sequentially.
Timing is everything: Allow adequate time to plan out the patient move to avoid last minute scrambling
Each hospital is different, and depending on the number of patients, staff and other resources which may be needed, organizations may require anywhere from 12 to 20 months for planning. By appointing a Patient Move Champion to work alongside our team, data can be synthesized early, and various scenarios can be played out and chosen.
Early planning also allows an organization to identify and secure additional staffing or other resources which may be required, such as outside partners or other move day support staff including additional providers, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), volunteers, nursing and allied health students, as well as ambulance services or other equipment that may be necessary to safely support patient relocation.
Standardization is key: Systemize the patient move transfer teams
Patient move days can be very long days, which can impact patient safety as teams become fatigued. A key safeguard is to standardize the Transfer Team process and assignments to ensure the patient move is as safe and efficient as possible. Creating a process for each type of patient acuity and practicing it with all involved in the patient move helps teams not only gain familiarity with process steps, but also with dedicated departure vs. return routes, move sequences, cadence, check-points, and necessary communications to ensure the process becomes routine and more efficient as the day goes on. Standardizing the Transfer Team process can help potentially shave off several hours of the total move duration, which in a 10- or 12-hour day can make a significant difference in fatigue levels.
Currently Northeast Georgia Health System is planning a relocation of patients to a new 96-bed critical care tower expansion at their Gainesville Campus. Two mock-patient moves are being planned to test and refine the patient move process, ensuring all involved are knowledgeable and trained in their role and allowed adequate time to test tools, processes, and sufficiently practice each step before the actual patient move day. Each mock-move event will increase in complexity by increasing the number and acuity of mock patients as well as incorporating “clinical curve balls,” which may include a medical emergency or other unplanned event while enroute from the former building to the new facility. To support the teams, especially those staff not directly involved in the patient moves, and ensure the processes are well communicated, an extensive Patient Move Guide is being developed as a reference document for all staff.
No such thing as too much support: Especially for orienting patients and loved ones to the new building
While the big task of a patient move day is physically moving the patient, it is also imperative to have adequate staff and resources at the new facility to help orient patients and their loved ones. Staff should be on hand to assist with wayfinding to anything from finding the cafeteria to the bathrooms to the pharmacy.
Often beneficial is the use of a Hospitality Center, which can provide a dedicated, convenient location for family and visitors in a comfortable space where they can receive status updates and other communications while patients are being relocated. Many of these support roles can be filled with existing resources such as volunteer pools, students, advisory committee members or similar groups, who can be an untapped reservoir to help with staffing support needs.
Reuniting loved ones with patients once the move is complete is another important function to consider. Additionally, resource staff can help support orienting patients to their new rooms and any new or changed features of their room such as lighting controls, staff call buttons and more to make them feel at ease and comfortable.
Safety is the North Star: Prioritize patient and staff safety throughout
A patient move is a huge logistical undertaking, but the north star must always and forever be keeping patients and staff safe through the entire process. This is where a mock patient move brings greatest value to support testing and practice of worst-case or less-than-ideal scenarios, providing the ability to troubleshoot and develop contingencies or potentially life-saving plans in response to emergencies. Additionally, having ample communications with patients and staff about what to expect can help ease anxiety and ensure a safe patient move day.
There’s no question planning a patient move is an enormous undertaking and must be meticulously planned. It can also be a very exciting process as well as a once-in-a-career opportunity for many healthcare executives and teams. Committing the time and resources to planning as well as selecting the right partner up front can provide huge returns in the end. Suffice it to say there is nothing more satisfying than crossing the finish line and seeing the last patient successfully moved into the new building. There is no greater sense of fulfillment and not much else to compare to an opening day with no surprises.
