Historic underinvestment in technology among many healthcare facilities, coupled with pent-up and still growing demand, has resulted in an accelerated ongoing digital transformation of U.S. health systems. The 2025 Deloitte Insights Global Health Care Outlook cites that 90 percent of the respondents in its healthcare survey listed accelerated digital transformation as having a ‘high’ or ‘moderate’ impact. This digital transformation trend comes via upgrades to smart building technology, ranging from nurse call, security systems, and patient interaction portals, to finding better ways to manage the data surrounding general building operations. A recent PNC Healthcare survey revealed that technology infrastructure is currently among healthcare executives’ top concerns. With this emphasis on healthcare facility upgrades comes a growing need for technology integration support.
Smart building technology integration, or the process of connecting each system so that a building’s entire tech ecosystem performs more effectively than if systems were coordinated independently, is not a new concept. Yet, this concept is continually improving and is still slow to be adopted among some. Prioritizing integration as part of the overall construction or renovation project is vital to achieving successful outcomes. When a technology integrator is involved early in pre-construction, their contributions can prevent future change orders and ensure connectivity goals are met. While smart buildings across any industry contain some of the same core technology components, healthcare facilities have their own unique needs.
“Technology integration can have a significant impact on experiences, outcomes, and performance of the building systems throughout the life of a building,” said John Cooper, Director of East Region & Healthcare Operations for Aptitude. “When we’re working on a healthcare facility, there are additional considerations, such as patient safety, for example, and considering how connected systems will support the staff in ways that help them to provide better care.”
Cooper says he approaches healthcare projects by asking four questions focused on solutions within high-priority areas:
- Experience: How will the technology ecosystem impact the experience of patients, staff, and caregivers, and how can we make it better? Cooper notes that he envisions himself in the shoes of a patient, a nurse, a caregiver, and other end users and tries to understand the experience they will encounter.
- Outcomes: What are the operational results and standards stakeholders are hoping to achieve through the construction or renovation of the facility?
- Security: Given that occupant safety and information security are paramount, how can technology integration help ensure both physical and data security?
- Day Two: How can our team make a lasting positive impact post-construction? Is it by providing additional education to ensure staff knows how to use their new systems? Is it in making infrastructure recommendations that will benefit future technology upgrades?
“It’s one thing to install the systems, but it’s another to understand how they will be used on day two, how they need to be integrated, what data needs to be collected, what upgrades might be needed years down the road, and other in-depth details. It’s in understanding and planning for these details that a technology integrator like Aptitude adds the most value,” said Adam Farlow, Senior Project Manager for Aptitude.
To truly reap the benefits technology systems have to offer, healthcare facilities must prioritize holistic planning and integration from the outset of any construction project. Early collaboration with an experienced technology systems integrator can help ensure the effectiveness of every system and also prevent costly change orders. Ultimately, integration is not only about connecting devices, but also about creating smarter, safer, more efficient built environments to deliver value well beyond the initial build.