With an increasing demand for more convenient access to healthcare, Stamford Health Medical Group, an affiliate of Stamford Hospital, has co-located multiple adult primary care and specialty care practices into a new outpatient medical building. Designed by The SLAM Collaborative, the MOB aligns with Stamford Hospital’s Planetree commitment to personalizing, humanizing, and demystifying the healthcare experience for patients and their families through patient-centered care. This collaborative care model features universal exam rooms, integrated work areas for staff, centralized common areas, and shared conference rooms for staff training and patient education.

Planning for the two-story, 46,000-square-foot facility fit-out highlights an on-stage/off-stage organization model. The main reception and dedicated waiting areas serve as a gateway to the physician practices where universal exam rooms are arranged into small groups of standardized pods. This arrangement enhances patient privacy and comfort while providing flexibility based on patient demand for particular specialties. The multipurpose exam/consultation rooms emphasize face-to-face communication between the patient and their physician.

The clinicians are grouped at the end of each pod with close proximity to exam rooms, facilitating easier interaction and consultation. Taking advantage of the existing expanse of windows at the building perimeter, offices are designed with frosted glass fronts to allow for privacy while maximizing daylight within each exam pod. Located in each corner of the pods, team collaboration areas offer additional opportunities for meetings.

Shared services, including imaging and procedural space, a draw lab, a walk-in clinic, and multipurpose conference rooms, are organized around the existing centrally located circulation core for easy access and wayfinding. A shared staff lounge facilitates unplanned interactions to better support physician integration and collaboration between multidisciplinary staff.

The facility was completed in October 2015.