What makes Wishard different from other health care providers in the area?
How many patients does Wishard care for each year?
How many people does Wishard employ?
What university partnerships does Wishard maintain?
What medical technology or research advancements are currently underway at Wishard?
What community education programs and services does Wishard provide?
Why does Wishard need to build new facilities?
What process did Wishard use to determine its need for new facilities?
Who conducted the analysis?
How much will new facilities cost?
How will Wishard fund construction of new facilities?
Why can't Wishard remodel or refurbish its existing buildings?
Why can't Wishard renovate its campus building by building?
What will happen if Wishard does not build new facilities?
Will the hospital stay open during construction?
When will the new Wishard open?
How many beds will the new Wishard have?
What will the new Wishard look like?
What environmentally friendly or green building designs will the new Wishard design include?
Instead of building a new Wishard, why not move to the vacant St. Francis facility in Beech Grove?
How in depth did you study the off-campus options?
What gap in services would occur in central Indiana if Wishard closed its doors?
How will Wishard continue to provide care for the next five to seven years if the facilities are in such a state of crisis?
In such an uncertain economy, is this a good time to build a new Wishard?
How will the new Wishard improve quality of care/outcomes for the hospital?
How will the new campus make Wishard operate more efficiently?
Instead of building new facilities, why can't other hospitals in Marion County care for Wishard's patients?
Why should individuals support a new Wishard?
What makes Wishard different from other health care providers in the area?
Wishard's mission is extremely unique. It is the safety-net system open to every resident of Marion County, whether insured or not. To this end, Wishard provides more care to the indigent than all other hospital systems in the city combined. Approximately 65 percent of the inpatient uninsured care that happens in Marion County is provided by Wishard, and even more of the outpatient care. That service and dedicated community support makes Wishard very unique.
How many patients does Wishard care for each year?
Wishard has more than 19,000 inpatient admissions each year, and more than 1.2 million outpatient visits annually.
How many people does Wishard employ?
Wishard employs more than 4,138 individuals, and an additional 1,076 physicians on staff. The hospital's local economic impact is $1.2 billion annually.
What university partnerships does Wishard maintain?
As one of central Indiana's principal teaching hospitals, Wishard is vested in training the next generation of skilled Indiana physicians and health care providers. To advance this effort, Wishard maintains partnerships with more than 40 academic institutions and programs including:
- Indiana University School of Medicine
- Indiana University School of Nursing
- Indiana University School of Dentistry
- Indiana University School of Rehabilitative Services
- Ivy Tech Community College School of Nursing
- Purdue University School of Pharmacy
- Ball State University
- Butler University
- Marian University
- University of Indianapolis
- Indiana State University
- Indiana Wesleyan University
- Northwestern University
And others
What medical technology or research advancements are currently underway at Wishard?
Wishard, in partnership with the Regenstrief Institute, has been at the leading edge of health services research focused on improving the quality, efficiency and safety of patient care for decades. This was made possible by our investment more than 30 years ago to develop one of the nation's first comprehensive electronic medical record systems. This allows Wishard to capture and transmit data across the breadth of its integrated delivery system, from outpatient clinics to the hospital to the emergency department and now even to ambulances in the field. And the many of the physicians who care for patients at Wishard are also researchers within the Regenstrief Institute. This powerful informational infrastructure has been configured by physicians to help physicians provide better care. And as testimony to the impact, more than 20 percent of the world's literature that focuses on the effect of physicians interacting with computers to enhance medical care stemmed from this Regenstrief-Wishard partnership. Wishard is also one of only 3 percent of hospitals nationwide where physicians order all their tests through this electronic medical records system.
What community education programs and services does Wishard provide?
Wishard provides free community flu shots, health screenings and sports physicals at numerous health fairs and other public events each year. In addition, the hospital raises awareness about health and safety issues through ongoing public service announcements and no- or low-cost community classes.
Why does Wishard need to build new facilities?
Wishard is indispensable to our community, and Wishard cannot continue to operate in its aged facilities. Wishard's old buildings are beyond the point that they can be repaired. As the hospital's facilities age and systems fail, it is not possible to replace those systems. For example, the campus' older buildings have inadequate ceiling height for ductwork needed for mechanical and electrical equipment, HVAC and other utilities.
What process did Wishard use to determine its need for new facilities?
First, Wishard assembled national and local experts to assist the leadership team in analyzing and evaluating every option to determine the most efficient, cost-effective and highest-quality option. Wishard then developed numerous scenarios for evaluation. At the conclusion of this phase, the hospital extensively evaluated each option on the selection criteria.
Who conducted the analysis?
Several third-party consultants aided Wishard and HHC in their analysis, including:
- The Lewin Group, national health care and human services consulting firm
- Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA), premier solutions provider to the health care industry
- Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., one of the world's largest providers of engineering, operations and maintenance consulting
- Parsons Corporation, leader in technical and management solutions for numerous industries including health care
- Milliman, among the world's largest independent actuarial and consulting firms in employee benefits, health care and financial services
- HOK, a global architectural firm that specializes in planning, design and delivery solutions for buildings and communities
- Ratio Architects, recognized for architectural historic preservation, renovation work and architectural design, interior design, urban planning and landscape architecture
- BSA, specializing in architecture, engineering, interior design and planning for health care, higher education and scientific research
How much will new facilities cost?
Construction is estimated to be $754 million. However, a new, efficient facility is less than the cost of maintaining and upgrading Wishard's current facilities.
How will Wishard fund construction of new facilities?
Wishard and HHC have already saved $150 million in cash resources for the project. Bonds will be issued to fund the rest of construction costs, with the debt service paid from Wishard and HHC's operating revenues. Other funding will be provided through revenues from other lines of business, capital project reserves accumulated by HHC and philanthropy. Only 5.4 percent of Wishard's current funding comes from property taxes, and not one dime of tax increases or new taxes will be needed to fund construction or operation.
Why can't Wishard remodel or refurbish its existing buildings?
It is physically not feasible, and where there are solutions, the cost is prohibitive. In many instances, rooms could not accommodate the standard equipment needed for patient care and utility passageways could not handle the required mechanical and electrical systems upgrades.
Why can't Wishard renovate its campus building by building?
It is physically not feasible, and where there are solutions, the cost is prohibitive. For example, in one instance, more than half of a Wishard building would have to be vacated just to accommodate utilities. This solution does not improve logistical concerns related to operating 17 buildings.
What will happen if Wishard does not build new facilities?
As facilities continue to age and systems inevitably fail, buildings will close one by one. Costs will escalate and services will decline until finally, Wishard will reach a tipping point at which the hospital can no longer serve the community and will be forced to stop operating.
Will the hospital stay open during construction?
Yes. This is one of the advantages of building new, efficient facilities nearby - Wishard will not interrupt service to its patients.
When will the new Wishard open?
A new, more efficient facility can be opened as soon as December 2013.
How many beds will the new Wishard have?
The new Wishard will have approximately the same number of beds as its existing facilities. But the new facility will be one-third smaller than the current 17 buildings and yet be able to accommodate more patients.
What will the new Wishard look like?
If there were a single word to define the new Wishard, it would be "efficient." The new Wishard will be clean, easy to maintain, easy to navigate and highly supportive of patients, physicians, medical students and the public. In addition, the new design will better maintain client confidentiality while still projecting openness and accessibility.
What environmentally friendly or green building designs will the new Wishard design include?
Wishard will build new, more efficient facilities to LEED standards. Wishard plans to include a green roof and other sustainable features. These environmentally-conscious selections will provide long-term cost savings and reduce Wishard's energy costs and use.
Instead of building a new Wishard, why not move to the vacant St. Francis facility in Beech Grove?
Wishard's location on the IUPUI campus is central to its patients. The on-campus location allows Wishard to partner with the IU School of Medicine, so Wishard can be staffed with outstanding physicians from the IU School of Medicine faculty. To relocate Wishard to Beech Grove would cut off its vital services from many of the people that need it most, and would distance Wishard's life-saving critical care facilities - such as its adult Level One Trauma center and adult Level One burn center - from the epicenter of Marion County's population. Even if this location was not paramount, the abandoned St. Francis facility would not provide a feasible solution. The facilities, like Wishard's, are aged with buildings ranging in age from 39-96 years old. It would not provide a cost-effective, efficient long-term solution for Wishard and the people it serves.
How in depth did you study the off-campus options?
Wishard completely analyzed every option for its impact on cost, quality and efficiency. The study concluded that off-site locations would severely compromise the hospital's ability to continue to help counteract the shortage of physicians and nurses in Indiana as a teaching hospital, and greatly increase the cost for transportation. In addition, it is important for Wishard's adult Level I Trauma Center to remain at the center of the metro area population.
What gap in services would occur in central Indiana if Wishard closed its doors?
Immediately, other hospitals' emergency rooms would be flooded, EMS response times countywide would be compromised and emergencies requiring an adult Level I Trauma Center would be jeopardized. Cost of care would rise, wait times would balloon and Wishard's outreach programs geared toward making central Indiana's population healthier and reducing our county's cost would end. In short, Wishard's closure would have a wide-reaching and long-lasting impact on quality of life in central Indiana. In other cities, such as Washington, D.C., after the public hospital closed, several other hospitals also closed because they could not absorb the additional uninsured patients.
How will Wishard continue to provide care for the next five to seven years if the facilities are in such a state of crisis?
Now, the hospital is able to use bandages to deal with these problems, but soon, it will have to use tourniquets. Wishard is already dealing with system failures, compromised facilities and higher cost from inefficiency. However, Wishard is confident that with immediate action, the hospital can transition into a more efficient Wishard before cutting or compromising services, quality and efficiency. Each year delayed will cost the hospital $53 million and increase the risk of catastrophic failure.
In such an uncertain economy, is this a good time to build a new Wishard?
Now is a good time for Wishard to construct new facilities. Federal stimulus money is available to Wishard; interest rates are low; construction and commodities prices are low; and wage rates are down. Unfortunately, Wishard does not have the luxury to wait out the current economic challenges. Every year that the hospital delays the start of this project, the total cost of the new hospital increases by $53 million. In fact, the economic downturn is increasing the need for new, efficient facilities as Wishard's patient mix changes and charity care demands increase as more people lose their jobs and homes. And with 25 percent of the construction labor force without work, building a new Wishard could also help the local economy by generating needed jobs.
How will the new Wishard improve quality of care/outcomes for the hospital?
Quality of care will improve across the board. New facilities will allow Wishard to better adhere to privacy regulations, eliminating the need for room-sharing and providing patients more space to recover in comfort. The new patient rooms will also accommodate the modern technology and medical equipment needed for quality patient care and teaching. Physicians and staff will benefit from use of an efficient and contemporary care environment, and the logistically sound campus will reduce wait times, improve urgent care and make the hospital more navigable.
How will the new campus make Wishard operate more efficiently?
The primary benefit of a new Wishard will be its consolidation of services. Rather than spreading care providers and resources across numerous aging and inefficient buildings, patients and staff alike will benefit from operating on a well-designed structure. Modern facilities and a more logistical layout will allow for enhanced efficiency in all aspects of patient care.
Instead of building new facilities, why can't other hospitals in Marion County care for Wishard's patients?
This would prove to be a tremendous strain on the other local hospitals, both physically and financially. First, Wishard operates at 98 percent occupancy - even though a hospital is considered "full" at 80 percent. If Wishard closed, the surge in displaced patients would overflow other local emergency rooms, increase wait times for care and stress the entire local health care infrastructure. The closing of Wishard would also be a financial hardship for other hospitals. Wishard is a municipal hospital, and provides care for all Marion County residents - regardless of their ability to pay - the county prisoner population and the homeless. The county's other private, non-profit hospitals are not mandated by the same responsibilities and don't receive the same government support and incentives to help support this care.
Why should individuals support a new Wishard?
Replacement facilities aren't something that would simply be nice to have; they're absolutely essential to the viability and sustainability of the entire Wishard system. Wishard needs to continue to pour its resources into providing even more innovative, high-quality care at low cost - not into sustaining aging and inefficient buildings.
