Simply being a major teaching hospital is no longer enough of a draw for patients, who are now also looking for topnotch customer service and patient amenities, reports the Chicago Tribune. As several large medical centers in Chicago take part in the hospital building boom occurring throughout the country, they are intent on altering the patient experience. Children’s Memorial Hospital, which will break ground next year for an $800-million facility, is conducting focus groups of children, asking their preferences for computers, decor, and food, and designing rooms to bring in more natural light. The new $450-million Prentice Women’s Hospital will have a “significant art collection” and round-the-clock room service. At Rush University Medical Center, which is spending $810 million to create new facilities, there is a much greater focus on the environment with natural lighting, bamboo flooring, and nontoxic materials. “About 13 years ago hospitals tried to look more like hotels, but the finishes and materials didn’t really hold up,” Joseph DeVoss, Rush’s assistant vice president for capital transformation, told the Tribune. “Now we know that patients and even staff thrive in better environments.”
