As freestanding emergency departments (FSEDs) continue to evolve, it is important to understand their impact in unique licensing and operational challenges. Hear how four facilities have adapted the FSED concept to their communities and learn what it takes from planning, design, and construction perspectives to create an FSED that meets the emergency and health care needs of patients. This session will enable you to-
• Identify the licensing and operational issues, as presented in the case studies, that a project team must consider when planning, designing, and building a freestanding emergency department.
• List at least three benefits of FSEDs based on lessons learned from the case studies, and describe how these can be used to help assess whether FSEDs are suited to meet the emergency health care needs of other communities.
• Describe the differences between FSEDs and hospital-based emergency departments, as explained in the presentation, to help determine when an FSED might be the preferable way to delivery emergency services.
• Explain the importance of planning, as shown in the case studies, for delivering a health care facility project that meets the community's needs on time and on budget.