First half of 2005 brings a strong dose of healthcare projects, new practices for meeting customers’ needs

Just as fields of medicine are specialized, so are the facilities that house the various operations serving different patient groups. Recognizing that equally distinct are the healthcare providers developing, occupying and maintaining these facilities, DPR formed the Healthcare Think Tank. Meeting twice a year, this group discusses the healthcare industry’s most pressing issues and challenges, latest trends in construction, and strategies for better serving customers.

“DPR recognizes that healthcare is not a one-size-fits-all industry. During the Think Tank, we identify both the similarities and differences among our healthcare customers to help increase efficiency and determine where we can provide the most value,” said DPR’s Dave Valentine. “Bringing so many healthcare people together on a semiannual basis also gives us the chance to leverage the knowledge and insight of our healthcare experts, strengthening our firm-wide capabilities.”

These capabilities are also being demonstrated out in the field on DPR’s more than 120 healthcare projects currently under construction. “The information discussed during the Think Tank is often shared with the project teams to help them gain an even stronger understanding of what’s important to the customer and how work should be executed,” added Valentine. “For example, for one healthcare customer, DPR knows it must provide detailed, comprehensive budgets that account for all parts of the project, not just those items that fall under DPR’s scope.”

Working with a diverse group of healthcare providers routinely puts DPR to the test in providing customized, client-focused service. But while procedures and preferences may vary, DPR is always consistent where it counts: meeting Critical Success Factors and infection control standards, as well as pushing the envelope when it comes to using new technology and construction methods, such as three- and four-dimension virtual building, lean construction techniques and green building practices.

This consistency and specialized service has made DPR one of the nation’s leading healthcare builders—ranked #4 on Modern Healthcare magazine’s list of top general contractors in the healthcare industry—and has led to a healthy year of healthcare. In the first six months of the year, DPR has been awarded 65 healthcare projects, totaling more than $423 million and ranging from exam room renovations and MRI expansions to new replacement hospitals and medical office buildings across the country.