Design tip from the 2009 Hospital Design Conference

Veterinarians and their practice managers gathered today for the Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Conference held every year in conjunction with CVC Kansas City. Here's one of the tips they heard from a top veterinary design expert:

Wayne Usiak, AIA, owner of BDA Architecture in Albuquerque, N.M., tells of one of his clients who wanted to include a linear accelerator in his new practice. So Usiak acquired the specifications from the manufacturer and designed the concrete vault to house the accelerator. However, the doctor came across a “screaming deal” that saved him six figures, and he backed out of his original agreement and signed with another linear accelerator vendor.

The problem? The new unit required a totally different design and electrical strategy. “We had to rip off the top of that vault-which was three feet of solid concrete-to raise the height to accommodate the new unit,” Usiak says. “The change orders for this ‘hot deal' ended up costing the practice owner well over $200,000.”

The bottom line? Change is expensive. Decide what you want, sign with a vendor-and vary as little as possible from that plan.