Last month, we looked at ways that healthcare organizations are working on transportation options to improve patient attendance for non-emergency appointments. This month, we will look at how healthcare organizations are working with hospitality organizations to improve patient experience with on-campus or nearby housing options for patients and their families.

Here are some examples:

• NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The Big Apple is known for its pricey hotel accommodations—a factor that can make it difficult for patients and their families to find nearby lodging when traveling to the city for health care. In addition, the area around hospitals often does not offer many hotel options. The Edge Hotel, a property of the Edge Property Group, opened a 54-room hotel about a block away from NYP in 2015. Since its opening, the hotel has maintained an 80%-plus occupancy rate, and 90% of its guests are connected to the hospital in some way: patients, families, prospective medical students, visiting professors and pharmaceutical sales representatives.
• Cleveland Clinic. In May of last year, the Clinic opened the Holiday Inn Cleveland Clinic on its property to replace an outdated guesthouse that had been demolished for other construction. The 276-room hotel has put in many accommodations for patients, such as restaurant tables of varying heights that work for people in wheelchairs, and extra electrical outlets in hotel rooms for medical equipment. In 2016, about 60% of the hotel’s guests were either patients or family members of patients.
• Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX. While there are more moderately-priced accommodations located nearby, the InterContinental Houston Medical Center luxury hotel is currently under construction across the street from the medical center. The Texas Medical Center experiences a lot of medical tourists, in part due to world-class facilities located there, such as the MD Anderson Cancer Center, so the developer, Medistar, believes adding a brand such as InterContinental, which has a unique perception overseas, is a sound choice. However, Medistar is not just looking at luxury accommodations—a 375-unit apartment building is also under construction for patients who will need long-term treatment (such as chemotherapy). Rooms, from studio size to three bedrooms, will be available for monthly rental, and will include washers and dryers.

While millions of dollars are being invested in these housing options, it makes financial sense for hospitals to find alternatives to in-patient treatment. Says John T. Murphy, CEO of Murphy Development Group that oversaw the construction of the Cleveland Clinic Holiday Inn, “For hospitals, the economics to get patients out from under their roofs is compelling. Housing some patients can cost up to $2,500 a night; the Cleveland’s new Holiday Inn is around $250. And patients are often more comfortable outside a hospital’s walls, too.”