By Tim McCurley

One of the most stressful phases of a capital project is near the end, when all the years of planning and construction are finally on a collision course that will lead to a successful completion, or a disaster nobody wants to endure. Many times, administrators are so glad to see the project come to a close that they tend to forget one of the most important and critical steps, Occupation Planning. Whether you are moving across town or across the hall, a well-developed Move Plan is vital to the successful completion of a project. This article will outline some of the basic steps necessary for a successful transition.

Create a team
The first step in occupation planning is to create a team that is capable of handling this large task. It should include a representative from each department that is either moving or is being affected by the move. Members should include the information technology, dietary, pharmacy, and materials management staffs. These individuals are usually an integral part of hospital operations and will need to have direct involvement in the transition and occupation planning. The team should have an appointed chairman who is a strong leader and is able to speak intelligently about both hospital and construction issues. That being said, this person should be a member of the construction team to ensure seamless transition from construction to occupancy.  Generally, we recommend the transition team should begin meeting at least 12 to 18 months prior to occupation. Initially, they should meet on a monthly basis and more frequently as the move draws near.

Develop a schedule
The transition team’s first task should be to develop a schedule. This schedule will define the entire plan for occupying the building. It should be based on the contractors "Date of Substantial Completion," or the date the hospital can use the building for its intended use. The next question that needs to be addressed is how much time it will take to prepare the facility for occupation after the contractor has fully completed his work. For a replacement hospital, we recommend at least 90 days. For a renovation or a new tower project, between 75 and 90 days should be sufficient. Of course, you may need to evaluate your specific project and make sure you give yourself enough time to complete the transition. The core of the schedule should include everything that must occur in order for the new building to be ready for occupancy. This includes, but is not limited to, the installation of furniture, nurse call systems, artwork and signage, phones, security systems and window treatments.

Other considerations include staff training, cleaning, computer installation, grand opening activities, stocking of supplies, testing of systems and allotted time for architectural photographs to be taken. It is important to remember that the contractor and architect are not generally involved in the majority of these tasks, so they must be addressed and managed by the hospital staff.

The relocation of patients and equipment is probably the most intense part of the move process. This is the point at which everything must perform as intended via the design. In order to have a successful patient move, the following items should be thoroughly discussed:

• Command and control of the patient and physical move is vital to a successful relocation. One person, or a group of people, must be directing all aspects of the patient move. Generally, for moving a large number of patients, we recommend creating a "control center." This control center should track the movements of patients and supplies. It should be able to estimate move times according to the previously identified move plan. The command center must be able to communicate with all participants in the patient move.

• Moving patients is most easily coordinated by a team of specialized individuals, formed to move the patients from one point to another. On a recent major relocation, we established four teams with four individuals on each team. All team members had specific and identifiable responsibilities. One was in charge of security and communications with the command center. Another was in charge of equipment and supplies. The other two members pushed the patients to their destination. Contingency plans for possible in-house or public emergencies must be considered well in advance of the patient move.

• Relocation of medical equipment and supplies must also be factored into the move plan. The challenge in this effort is preparing the new building to be operational with equipment or furniture that is currently being used in the old facility. The physical move must be planned to coincide with the patient move. For these reasons, we recommend hiring a firm that specializes in hospital relocations. They bring a level of expertise to the process that can be very valuable in the transition planning. These firms should also be retained to perform the actual move in order to allow the hospital staff to focus solely on the patient move.

• Post-move activities can be a very confusing and hectic part of the move. In some cases, the staff has a difficult time adjusting to the new facility. Change can be difficult and old habits die hard. Although this issue can be overcome with the passage of time, there are several activities that can be arranged prior to the move, in order to ease the transition. A proper training and orientation program should be developed and conducted at least one month prior to occupation.  Staff should be allowed access to the new building in order to become comfortable with the design and flow of the facility. Be sure to allow for a design review meeting if you find that staff members have concerns or questions about the new space. Incorporating these activities into your plan will help the staff to acclimate to the new facility in the least amount of time possible.

• Focus on transitional and operational enablers: The physical move is the major "on-display" step in Occupancy Planning. It should be noted that there are a host of operational and strategic enablers the hospital must implement prior to occupying a new space. In most cases, the facility was planned and designed with new operational models (form follows function), new clinical and technological systems, additional medical staff to support new programs, and/or a targeted marketing campaign.  Ensure that during the construction phase all of these transitional elements are addressed in detail and are in place prior to the move. It may be possible to implement some changes before the new space is occupied.  Much like move planning, focusing on operational enablers early will ensure the facility functions in the way in which it was designed.

Focus and attention must be paid to the transition phase, just as to any other part of the design and construction process. Choosing the right team to implement your Move Plan will prove to be extremely valuable and will ensure successful completion of your capital project.

Remember: The move is the last thing people remember, so start and finish strong for project success!

Tim McCurley is senior consultant at KLMK Group LLC, Richmond, Va. He can be contacted at tmccurley@klmkgroup.com.

-April 2009 HFM Magazine Web Exclusive.