The Imbanaco Medical Center in Cali, Colombia, has enjoyed ever increasing demand for its services since its founding three decades ago. But in the process, its physical facilities have become a logistical nightmare. Now, Imbanaco has teamed up with Siemens Healthcare to plan and build a new, completely integrated facility that will improve workflow, lower costs, and provide even better patient services.
Imbanaco – Pave the way for future growth
Starting out in 1976 as a small clinic with a laboratory and X-ray system, the Imbanaco Medical Center (Centro Médico Imbanaco) has become one of southwestern Colombia‘s largest, most dynamic and distinguished full-service hospitals. It is currently spread out over three city blocks, includes a 13-story and an 11-story tower, and offers the full panoply of medical services – from neurosurgery and angioplasties to neonatal care and kidney transplants. An average of 17,000 patients, family members, medical staff, and support employees flow through its doors every day. “We’re like a stadium in terms of the numbers of people who come and go,” says Armando Gonzalez, MD, CEO of Imbanaco and one of 28 doctors who cofounded the clinic. Imbanaco has had to improvise its physical expansion.
When Imbanaco‘s shareholders decided to build a new hospital to consolidate its archipelago of facilities under one roof, their priorities included state-of-the-art workflow design and medical technology; but they also wanted to position Imbanaco for future growth in Colombia‘s fast-moving medical environment.
These goals led Imbanaco to Siemens Healthcare’s Turnkey & Planning group to provide an overall and customized solution from a single source. The project comprises the following phases:
- Within the project idea, concept, and planning phase, the Turnkey and Planning group delivered plans for the design of a new clinic. The concept included the analysis of the hospital’s workflow and overhead, technology trends, and impact of universal healthcare on the bottom line. The workflowoptimized layout plan emphasized “clinical centers of gravity.”
- In the implementation phase, a triangular, double courtyard will be designed for maximum natural light in patient rooms. The hospital is positioned for the possible influx of foreign medical tourists
Successful partnership
By partnering with Siemens from the very beginning in planning the new facility, Imbanaco Medical Center hopes to expand and retain its market leadership, open itself up for highly complex cases, take care of more emergencies, and establish new standards in the areas of cardiology, neurosurgery, dialysis, and chemotherapy.