Turner Healthcare Survey Reveals 69% Of Healthcare Executives Believe That Their Institution Will Commence Major Expansion In Next Three Years

Sixty-Five Percent Of Executives Believe That Physician-Owned Specialty Hospitals Likely To Create A Conflict Of Interest

New York, N.Y., February 11, 2004 – Turner Construction Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Turner Corporation, the nation's leading general builder, today announced the findings of its survey of 200 senior healthcare executives on capital planning and facilities management issues.  The on-line survey was conducted by Bayer Consulting.

Capital Spending

When asked about the likelihood of their institution undertaking a major expansion within the next three years, 69% of all executives reported that their institution was very or extremely likely to do so.  Executives at institutions with capital budgets of $5 million or more were much more likely to anticipate that a major capital program would be initiated—89% of executives at institutions with larger capital budgets said that it was very or extremely likely to undertake a major capital program within the next three years.  In contrast, 56% of executives at institutions with capital budgets of less than $5 million said that it was very or extremely likely that their facility would undertake a major capital program within the next three years.

Likelihood that Executive’s Institution Will Undertake
a Major Capital Program within Next 3 Years
Percent of Executives

Commenting on the results, Robert Levine, Vice President of Healthcare for Turner, said, “Clearly, the construction of healthcare facilities is booming and shows no signs of slowing down.  In fact, for the first time since 1975, there has been an increase in the number of general acute-care beds across the nation.” 

Continued Mr. Levine, “Obsolete facilities, combined with a lack of capacity due to a growing population of baby boomers, have created huge demand for new and enhanced buildings.  We believe that this trend, confirmed by the survey respondents, will continue for years to come.”

When asked about the most important considerations when planning a major capital project, the two highest rated objectives were reducing cost, ranked number one or number two in importance by 53% of executives, and maintaining quality, ranked number one or number two by 52% of executives. The other factors ranked by executives in order of importance were design excellence, maximizing the program, completing projects more quickly, soliciting input/building consensus, reducing risk and improving staff communication. 

Most Important Considerations in
Planning a Major Capital Project
Percent of Executives

Specialty Hospitals

Executives were asked to compare key factors such as cost and quality of care between specialty hospitals and full-service hospitals. Forty-five percent of executives believed that the cost of care at specialty hospitals was less expensive than care at full-service hospitals.  Just over one-quarter of executives believed that care at specialty hospitals was more expensive.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of executives believed that the quality of care at specialty hospitals was eith