As our lives get busier, our time becomes more valuable and greater importance is placed on convenience and simplicity. Our society continues to embrace the idea of going to a single location to satisfy all our needs. This preference has not gone unnoticed in the design and healthcare communities. Andrews Architects, along with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, believes convenience and simplicity can be applied to primary care services.

In response to this shift in society’s attitude, the University successfully completed the Outpatient Care Upper Arlington, a primary care focused facility. This will be one of the first comprehensive ambulatory care facilities for the medical center. Individuals no longer have to visit several facilities in the community to see their physician, get blood work done, or even see a dentist. All of these tasks can be done at a single location.

The university wants a facility that simplifies the process for patients, while at the same time creating a footprint that allows maximum flexibility. Every patient entering the facility goes to Central Registration on the first floor before proceeding to the individual clinics. This eliminates bottle necks on each floor caused by patient registration and reduces wait time.

For the convenience of the patient, similar services are grouped together on each floor. Patients will find Cardiology, Cardio Rehab, and Nuclear Medicine on the same floor. Grouping similar services per floor simplifies wayfinding for patients and allows the medical center to share staff and resources.

To maximize flexibility on each floor, core spaces such as nurse stations, clean rooms, and storage are located in the center while exam and procedure rooms are located along the exterior.  Another key feature is the absence of a clear dividing line between each clinic.  The layout gives the university the ability to expand or contract individual clinics on a daily basis depending on patient volumes.