Planning the move of patient activities at a large medical center

The planning for the move of inpatients and outpatients to a new 845-bed, 1.5 million square foot facility that took place over a period of two and one-half years and encompassed the health care, safety, and social needs of both inpatients and outpatients and their families is described. The length of time given to the planning process allowed the hospital personnel to undertake planning the move along with their regular duties and without the need for additional staff, plus allowed for very detailed planning. The precise estimate of time requirements for the inpatient move resulted in the move being completed within two minutes of the projected 150-minute estimate. Moving patients from one health care facility to another can be accomplished safely and efficiently with the aid of a well-developed plan and sufficient practice of all needed functions.