A One-Stop Shop for Orthopedic Care
University of Virginia, UVA Orthopedic Center at Ivy Mountain
Healthcare
When the University of Virginia (UVA) sought to collocate its previously dispersed musculoskeletal services for the first time, it engaged ZGF to design a first-of-its-kind outpatient center where patients can access the entire spectrum of orthopedic care in one convenient location. The musculoskeletal center of excellence supports UVA’s mission of advancing its academic medical center while prioritizing the patient experience and the training of healthcare professionals.
Location
Charlottesville, VA
Square Feet
194,000
Completion date
2021
Project Component
Architecture services
Interior design and space planning
Medical Planning
The building's hospitality-inspired interiors more closely resemble a hotel or spa than a traditional clinical environment.
“This facility has been designed for patient convenience and team-member convenience so that we can provide the most efficient care possible. It is truly remarkable. This is a game-changer for orthopedic care in our region.”
Dr. Bobby Chhabra MD, Chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Virginia
Optimizing Flexibility and Efficiency
The world-class Orthopedic Center at Ivy Mountain collocates diagnosis, imaging, surgery, physical therapy, and rehabilitation with specialty expertise in hand and spine, sports medicine, foot and ankle, orthopedic trauma, sports concussions, and prosthetics and orthotics. These comprehensive offerings allow for seamless delivery of care as patients transition through phases of treatment.
A focus on branding and identity led to the creation of distinct entrances for each of the specialty clinics. However, behind the scenes the clinics are designed on a standard module allowing exam rooms to be shared based on day of the week and patient volume. Imaging is embedded throughout the clinics, reducing the time required for patients and providers to obtain diagnoses. This flexible planning model was key in optimizing care for each specific patient group, while ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow for clinicians.
While each specialty clinic is distinctly branded within waiting areas, exam rooms are flexible to optimize the efficient sharing of space based on day of the week and patient volume.
Located along the building perimeter, provider workstations support collaboration among care teams, provide easy access to exam rooms, and are naturally daylit with views to nature.
A sense of human movement is imbued throughout the design, with glass panels blurring movement, light fixtures mimicking body lines, and graphics portraying abstracted human forms.
A physical therapy suite is located near the sports medicine clinic and surgery on the building's ground level. A seperate building entrance provides easy access for patients.
Prioritizing Patient Experience
The new orthopedic center is uniquely equipped to serve distinct population groups, from professional and collegiate athletes in need of sports medicine to aging baby-boomers requiring knee or hip replacements. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, the center serves both urban and rural populations across the state. Careful consideration went into designing a space that supports a positive care experience for multigenerational and diverse patients. A set of healing trails sprawl across the site's lush, hilly terrain, providing a tranquil environment where patients can engage in outdoor physical therapy and rehabilitation. The building's hospitality-inspired interiors more closely resemble a hotel or spa than a traditional clinical environment. An on-site café offers nourishment and reprieve for visitors who have travelled across the state for care.
A multifunctional landscape supports the healing process with a series of outdoor experiences and physical therapy trails that encourage patients, staff, and visitors to rest and reflect, to walk or run, and to be immersed in the outdoor environment.
Enhancing Accessibility
Every aspect of the building was designed with the unique patient group in mind and focused on creating an environment that is easily accessible for all users. The building's layout seeks to reduce the number of steps patients, who are often mobility challenged, need to take to access the clinics and services. Attention was also directed to selecting materials that would not create hazards or barriers for patients using a walker or wheelchair. A parking lot located directly outside the surgery clinic makes for convenient and private pick up and drop off for patients coming in and out of surgery.
A robust Prosthetics and Orthotics Clinic includes a fabrication lab where patient-specific devices are designed and created on site.
Advancing Academics
UVA has been training and educating students to excel as orthopedic professionals for more than 70 years. The center provides quality graduate orthopedic education through a structured innovative teaching and evaluation process. Educational skills labs and conferencing facilities immerse students in the field with hands-on training and experience.
The UVA Ivy Mountain Musculoskeletal Center serves as a gold standard of clinic care, providing comprehensive treatment for diverse patient groups all in one convenient location. This model of healthcare design, prioritizing patient and staff experience, flexible planning, and patient accessibility sets a precedent for future establishments to follow.
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