A Midwestern Hospital Finds the Way

Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa knew that patient and visitor wayfinding was a problem and that people were getting lost coming to and within the facility. What they did not know was the scope and extent of the problems or the most efficient means to address them.

The Avenue ISR team, in partnership with Corbin Design, conducted extensive onsite research with patients, visitors and front line staff. We talked to people in their cars, at bus stops, in hospital waiting rooms and concessions areas, and in the public corridors of the facility. We married the voice of patients and staff to concrete experience and utilization data to comprehensively track and prioritize the breakdowns in the patient wayfinding experience.

What’s more, our team identified about $1 million of annual inefficiencies associated with staff directing lost patients and idle capacity caused by lost patients showing up to appointments late. We identified practical solutions to wayfinding and communications systems that have proven effective in terms of getting patients and visitors to their destinations, delivering a better patient experience, and building the hospital culture of care.