Specialty Care Building (SCB) Activation and Transition Planning

ECG supported UI Health (UIH) with opening its six-story specialty care building (SCB) in Chicago. Over an 11-month period, ECG led multidisciplinary work groups to prepare for the transition of existing clinic operations as well as establish plans for activating new patient care activities. This included facilitating scenario-based, day-in-the-life training to ensure all staff were prepared for opening day.

Prior to ECG’s engagement, UI Health did not have a perioperative governance structure or decision-making process in place. As a result, the organization was delayed in determining which surgical cases would transition to the new building and which would remain in the main ORs. In addition, UIH had selected several existing specialty clinics that all practiced independently to transition operations into the new SCB. 

UIH leadership sought out ECG’s expertise to organize all impacted service lines to ensure the SCB was activated on time and that UIH laid the foundation to deliver a high-quality, consistent patient experience within this new, state-of-the-art building. Although we typically partner with organizations on transition and activation projects for an 18- to 24-month period, we were engaged less than 12 months prior to the first patient day to ensure all staff and the facility were prepared.

Our team developed a governance structure for pre-occupancy perioperative and clinic operations planning, as well as the master schedule to guide UIH through the various elements to achieve a successful activation. We helped UIH with decision-making to ensure staffing levels were appropriate to sustain projected volumes for each service line, including for support services such as sterile processing, materials management, and central check-in. Our team also assisted with the creation and deployment of a comprehensive training plan to ensure a smooth transition to the new facility. This included facilitating tabletop and in situ day-in-the-life training exercises with all departments to prepare for the first patient day. To ensure a smooth opening, we created a building-opening scenario that phased the relocating clinics to match the surgical cases (and specialties) that would transition to the new building. This was necessary to account for recruitment and hiring timelines within our shortened 11-month activation window.

Given the need for a central check-in team, ECG completed a patient access and check-in operating plan, which defined central check-in FTEs required and different roles needed to execute on the institution’s goal of providing a consistent and seamless patient experience. As a result of this effort, UI Health hired approximately 20 new staff and utilized ECG’s recommendations for deploying these resources to maximize their impact.

After developing and issuing operating playbooks to clinical and nonclinical service lines, ECG defined the recommended opening sequence plan for clinics to occur over a two-week period while the surgical platform transitioned over four months; all coordinated with other third-party stakeholders who supported move management activities. ECG also led two day-in-the-life training exercises consisting of scenario-based training that included the involvement of staff across departments within the SCB. 

As a result of our engagement, UI Health opened the doors to the SCB on time and has continued to operate in an efficient model that has achieved the organization’s aspirations for the building.