2021 PDC Summit becomes web-based

Join health care planning, design and construction (PDC) peers at the 2021 PDC Summit on June 2-4. The PDC Summit brings together senior leaders working in hospitals, design firms and construction companies to learn, network and discover ways to create value for the health care built environment.

The nation’s top health care facilities professionals will attend the PDC Summit to share perspectives on optimizing healing environments. This is the one conference with an integrated audience of hospital administrators, architects, interior designers, construction professionals and health care facilities management professionals, with more than two-thirds of attendees returning to the event each year.

The PDC Summit provides attendees with the opportunity to:

• Earn up to 36 continuing education credits, including American Institute of Architects (AIA) units, without paying for travel or taking time away from work.
• Connect with other leaders and solution providers in health care planning, design and construction management through fun and innovative networking opportunities.
• Participate in a new series of sessions covering critical topics related to pandemic recovery and rebuilding the health care system.
• Continue the learning experience with extended on-demand access to sessions for 90 days after the event.

Moreover, the PDC Summit is coordinated by a trusted network of not-for-profit organizations with expertise in health care planning, design and construction, including the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE), the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health, the American College of Healthcare Architects and the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design. 

Fully 100% of all conference revenue will be reinvested into the mission of optimizing the health care physical environment. 

Cutting-edge topics

PDC Summit programming offers cutting-edge topics affecting the future of the health care built environment and presents thought-provoking research and presentations focusing on cross-team collaboration, sustainability, designing for future generations, technology integration and more.

The event will include a timely keynote address by John Rossman, a former Amazon executive and much-sought-after analyst on Amazon.com and author of three books on the company:

• Lessons Learned from Amazon | Nimbleness, Innovation and Leadership in Responding to COVID-19. “Crises have a way of accelerating the inevitable,” starts a Wall Street Journal article titled “The Future Comes Early for Grocers,” and this insight is applicable across the board. The current public health crisis is exposing which companies and leaders are nimble, flexible and able to adjust in the short term and which will likely grow over the long term as a result. It is also exposing which companies are rigid. 

No company demonstrates nimbleness better than Amazon. In short order, Amazon has been able to make decisions and adjustments, flex with the needs of the market, and will likely find new businesses and opportunities from the crisis that outweigh any short-term negative business impacts. And this doesn’t happen by accident. It’s because Amazon is built this way — built for decisiveness; built for nimbleness; built to adjust and scale.

How do health care facilities leaders adapt to the short term and plan for the long term? The answer is to “think like Amazon” and build a culture and operating systems designed for moments like this. Leveraging ideas from his bestselling book, Think Like Amazon, John Rossman will discuss several aspects of the field that will likely change and leave audiences with strategies, tools and questions to help create this future.

Educational sessions

A range of educational sessions will cover issues keeping PDC professionals up at night, including:

• Clinical perspectives in design and construction.
• Future of delivery.
• Collaborative PDC methodologies.
• Improving the human experience.
• Site of care.
• Solutions for mitigating risks.
• Regulation and compliance.

Additionally, a pandemic track of sessions will cover topics such as:

• Alternate care sites.
• Financial implications.
• Behavioral health.
• Compliance.
• Emergency preparedness.
• Surge and adaptability planning.
• Mechanical and electrical design.
• Telehealth.
• Recovery.

Solution center opportunities

Finally, a virtual solution center will show how the latest health care solutions can be incorporated into upcoming projects.

Visit ASHE's website to learn more about the 2021 PDC Summit or to register, or email ASHE at ASHEeducation@aha.org. 

Frequently asked questions about the PDC Summit

Want to learn more? The following provides answers to commonly asked questions about the 2021 PDC Summit: 

• How do I participate in the 2021 PDC Summit virtual event? The 2021 PDC Summit is a web-based event taking place on June 2-4, 2021. The event will include a keynote speaker, presentations, breakouts, interactive chatrooms and more. After completing the online registration, you will receive a confirmation email containing important information related to the event platform.
• Will I be able to earn continuing education credits (CECs)? Yes, you can earn CECs, and American Institute of Architects (AIA) learning units (LUs), including for health, safety and welfare (HSW). Also, you can potentially earn more CECs at this year’s virtual conference than average because you can earn hours during the live sessions and on-demand sessions, as well.

To ensure you receive your CECs and AIA LUs and LU HSWs, please be sure to attend the full session time and complete session surveys. Also, please ensure that you provide your AIA member number when prompted during registration so the American Society for Health Care Engineering can report your attendance to AIA. 

• Will I be able to ask questions during the sessions? Yes, each session includes a chat feature where you can engage and ask the presenter(s) questions.
• Will the virtual event be accessible beyond June 4, 2021? Yes, you will be able to rewatch content at your own pace with extended on-demand access through Sept. 15, 2021. If you have not yet registered for the June 2-4 dates but plan to access the conference at a later date, you still need to complete your registration in order to gain access to the on-demand virtual event.
• Will the virtual event have an exhibit hall? Yes, our online platform will feature a solution center where valued solution providers will be on hand to engage and discuss products and solutions, and where product experts and leaders in the field will be on hand to answer all product questions. We encourage you to visit each of the solution providers to engage with them directly via live chat and access resources on demand.
• Are there other networking opportunities during the virtual event? Yes, there will be networking opportunities, and we will provide more details as the event nears. In addition to those opportunities, we encourage you to spend time in the chatrooms to engage with fellow attendees and sponsors, request meetings with solution providers in their spaces and share your virtual business card as you explore the platform.