When you think of improving hospitals, it isn’t likely that your first thoughts are about parking inefficiencies. But the truth is that parking structures and the amount of available parking have a pretty considerable impact on everything from patient experiences to overall revenue. Explore this brief guide to discover how excellent parking can positively affect hospitals.
Better Patient Experiences Overall
If you’re wondering how better parking can improve hospitals, it’s wise to start by thinking about how much parking impacts a patient’s experience. Whether you’re bolting for the ER or moseying to your latest checkup, you’ll eventually have to park somewhere on the campus.
We’ve all been in a situation where hospital parking is scarce and nightmarish. But most of us have also lucked out with parking super close to the area of a hospital we were supposed to be in. But if given a choice, you’d likely go with the scenario where parking is convenient and nearby.
After all, most hospital visitors are in a rush to get where they’re going, emergency or not. And that’s where solutions like mechanical car parking can positively impact the patient experiences at a hospital. With automated parking, patients can find available spots nearby, making their experiences more streamlined, convenient, and manageable.
More Efficient Appointments and Operations
As we’ve discussed, parking significantly affects a patient’s ability to get where they’re going. But automated parking solutions making things more accessible and convenient for patients is only part of the equation. These solutions can also make hospital appointments and general operations more effective and efficient.
Thus, when there isn’t sufficient parking, it results in missed appointment times, delays, and sometimes, forced cancellations. This may not seem like a big deal upfront. But truthfully, these sorts of mix-ups can cost hospitals a lot of precious time and money. Not to mention that missed or delayed appointments mean patients can’t get the care they need on time.
For these reasons, hospitals should consider investing in things like mechanical car parking. In doing so, they’ll create more space and convenience for patients. As a result, appointments will be made, operations will be streamlined, and more people will get the care they need right when they need it.
Could Potentially Increase Hospital Revenue
Of course, enhancing the patient experience and streamlining appointments and hospital operations aren’t the only examples of how better parking can improve hospitals. In fact, with a suitable system in place, parking can help hospitals diversify and increase their revenue streams.
Perhaps you’re interested in using mechanical car parking to set up an automated valet service. Then, say that three of the medical office garages are already metered. If so, you could implement the automated valet parking as a luxury service that costs just a skosh more.
Plus, if you were to use car-stacking lifts, you could increase the amount of paid parking spaces, thus increasing hospital revenue in the right places. Regardless of what you choose to do, when you optimize your hospital’s parking areas, it stands to improve patient experiences.
Moreover, it can streamline operations and appointments and even increase your facility’s revenue. So if you’re in the market for a parking solution that can do these things for your hospital, give us a call at Harding Steel. We’ll set you up with the best parking system for your needs.