SSM Health Dean Medical Group

Part of one of the largest integrated health care delivery systems in the country, SSM Health Dean Medical Group consists of more than 60 clinics in southern Wisconsin. SSM DMG comprises a multi-specialty network of clinics that provide exceptional primary, and key specialized medical care, in locations throughout the region. This includes more than 30 regional and eye network clinics providing convenient care to outlying communities in southern Wisconsin, as well as three surgery centers in Madison and Janesville, providing outpatient surgery and care. 

FOS, CannonDesign, and Blue Cottage of CannonDesign, worked with SSM Health to provide a comprehensive assessment of ambulatory sites for SSM Dean Medical Group. We used mixed levels of analysis for selected ambulatory facilities to evaluate operational efficiency, marketing positions, and facility optimization solutions. Key issues to be addressed by FOS specifically included analysis of the condition and criticality of physical assets and cost to maintain over the immediate, short, and long-term. Built between 1868-2014, sites assessed were located throughout Southern Wisconsin and included 23 primary care sites, 16 specialty care sites, 15 eye clinics, 6 specialty sites (ortho, cancer, sleep, etc.), and 2 urgent care sites. Total square footage was 1,057,625. 

Using an industry-standard catalog of building and infrastructure elements is necessary to define and communicate a required facility condition assessment (FCA) level of detail. The good news is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. An industry standard catalog exists, known as UniFormat®, through the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). This is an industry standard for both FCAs and construction cost estimating. Divided into five levels, UniFormat® is a scalable definition of building systems. 

FOS applied expertise, process, and software solutions to implement the requirements of this FCA. All sites were evaluated at a Uniformat® level 3/5. This provided the data-per-facility required to understand assets, their condition at current state, their current deficiencies, and extent of funding required over the immediate five- and ten-year periods. 

This FCA helped SSM to understand the total funding needs of each clinic location, by priority and percent. We also helped them balance the needs of their existing portfolio with potential new construction projects. Data from this FCA worked in tandem with CannonDesign and Blue Cottage’s analysis of market, opportunity, operations, and capacity to ultimately help SSM Health build a capital plan over time and present the resulting data-driven strategy to United Health Group.