St. Joseph Internal Medicine MOB

St. Joseph’s growing internal medicine practices were consolidated in this new 23,000SF medical office building. The practice meets the increased need in the community for primary care, it is an accredited Patient-Centered Medical Home with both NCQA and Stage A for Medicaid.

The building is light-filled and calming, with a hospitality-focused environment for patients and staff. The lobby features a vast sky-light and the changing quality of light of the New England seasons creates a dynamic experience. Creating this open facility while meeting the sustainability and budget goals of the hospital in a cold weather climate presented a challenge. By using Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) and translucent window glazing St. Joseph was able to achieve a light filled lobby while downsizing their heating and cooling systems, saving energy and money.

Patient comfort and privacy was a leading design objective. Strategically placed art glass and wood screens visually segment the lobby, while not interfering with the flow of patients and allowing for the staff to maintain visual control. Areas of quiet contemplation support the emotional and spiritual needs of patients, furthering St. Joseph’s mission to provide high-quality, compassionate care.

In the current healthcare environment care models focus on wellness to reduce overall cost of care. This model aligns ease of access with efficient patient care practices in a setting that respects patient dignity and confidentiality. A key focus for this design was on the ‘universality’ of space. In an effort to prevent over-customization of each practice and to prevent the need for constant renovations as practices grow or shrink, there was an imperative to develop a universal exam room, consult room, treatment room, and provider module that could be applied to all practices. This technique required working closely with doctors, medical assistants, and staff to reach consensus on the design of the specific elements. Collaborative design sessions allowed faster progress and a far higher level of user investment in the project.

As a medical home model, the physicians at St. Joseph Healthcare have a very personal relationship with their patients. The physicians wanted to be immediately accessible to their medical assistants (MA) and patients. The design mixes the 20 physician offices and 50 exam rooms around a central core containing the 20 medical assistant work stations. This helps reinforce the close interaction between MA’s and physicians, as well as making the physicians as accessible as possible to the patients.