By By Dan Hounsell

Every year, Rod Hockman, M.D., President and CEO of Providence St. Joseph Health, and his team create a list of predictions that will shape hospitals and healthcare facilities in the new year. 

For 2021, the team at Providence have come up with 10 factors, many of which have an impact on facility management, construction and design. In her latest post, healthcare facility management blogger Sara Marberry breaks down five of these predictions. 

Obviously COVID-19 will continue to have an impact, but as vaccines become more widely available and people continue to wear masks and practice social distancing, the crisis should become more manageable. 

One big prediction affecting facility managers is cybersecurity. These attacks have been prevalent in 2020 and will continue to be on the rise in 2021. Hockman writes that facilities will need to "significantly ramp up privacy and security measures."

Climate change is another major factor. Facilities will need to improve their resiliency and sustainable measures. As one example, Providence has committed to achieving carbon negative by 2030. 

Even as the pandemic fades and society returns to normal, some things will remain — one of those being telehealth. Virtual visits have become the norm under the pandemic and will continue to do so. Facilities will need to carve out dedicated, quiet spaces for doctors to conduct virtual visits. 

See the entire list of predictions here.