E91 – One System, Many Campuses: The Owner’s Perspective on Balancing Standardization and Customization in Healthcare Design
As health systems grow through expansion, mergers, and redevelopment, owners are increasingly challenged to balance systemwide design standards with the need for campus-specific, project-level, and end-user customization. Standardization provides a strong foundation for efficiency, cost control, and operational consistency. It is most effective when complemented by targeted flexibility that responds to unique market, regulatory, and clinical conditions.
Planning and design leaders from AdventHealth, Novant Health, and Emory Healthcare will share candid lessons learned- what has worked, what has not, where compromise has delivered the greatest value. Panelists will discuss how systemwide design standards are established, governed, and applied across diverse campuses, and how decisions are made when standards conflict with local operational needs or clinical preferences.
The session will explore practical decision-making frameworks for evaluating when to enforce consistency, when to allow customization, and how to effectively engage clinicians, facilities leaders, and design teams in those choices. Attendees will gain owner-focused insight into best practices for developing adaptable standards, aligning design decisions with operational strategy, and avoiding common pitfalls that lead to rework, cost escalation, or stakeholder dissatisfaction. This discussion will provide actionable guidance for organizations delivering high-quality, efficient healthcare environments across multiple campuses while preserving local identity and performance.
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