A modular 'hospital room in a box' could dramatically slash the cost of building hospitals
- EIR Healthcare has built a modular hospital room that's set to be unveiled next month in Philadelphia.
- MedModular features antimicrobial surfaces that reduce the chance of hospital-acquired infections, grab bars for safe movement around the room, and more.
- CEO Grant Geiger told Business Insider that hospitals can be equipped with MedModular rooms faster and cheaper than using traditional rooms.
EIR Healthcare, a company that specializes in modular technology, has created a prefabricated "hospital room in a box" featuring technology that helps prevent patient falls and infections.
The product, called MedModular, will be unveiled at an October event in Philadelphia. Grant Geiger, the company's founder and CEO, told Business Insider that EIR is interested in building a micro hospital in one of the five US states with the most hospital construction - Texas, Florida, California, New York, and Pennsylvania - though he would not specify which one.
Geiger said MedModular rooms, which can be built in 30 days, are faster and cheaper than traditional hospital rooms. He said EIR can fill a 300-bed space in 10-20% less time than is currently feasible, which can mean a difference of two of three years in some cases. EIR's technology eliminates the need to build rooms on-site, so the company can start production in its factory as soon as contractors get to work building a hospital.
EIR's factory is operated in Finland by the construction company Admares. Despite creating modular hospital rooms abroad, EIR's new product are ADA compliant and adhere to US building codes.
On average, the construction of a new hospital costs $400 per square foot, but the price can jump as high as $1,200 in New York City. The costs vary based on several factors, such as where the facility is built and what kind of care it provides.
Due to MedModular's standardized manufacturing process, Geiger said EIR Healthcare can produce hospital rooms in places like New York for $500 or $600 per square foot, depending on a client's requests. In addition, EIR aims to reduce the percentage of nationwide waste coming from the construction industry.
"We are attacking that and trying to eliminate that piece," Geiger said.
The MedModular room features antimicrobial surfaces that reduce the chance of hospital-acquired infections, automatic sliding doors, and grab bars for safe movement around the room. MedModular also comes with frosted glass that provides greater privacy and visibility compared to sliding curtains often used at hospitals.
A smart window, which can be controlled from a patient's bed, eliminates the need for shades, and the rooms' sliding doors reduce touchpoints to help prevent infections.
"When that room is showing up at the construction site, there isn't additional work that needs to be done," Geiger said. "The room is effectively 90% complete, and you can get it up and running and start providing patient care a lot sooner than you would previously."
Geiger said he hopes MedModular will transform the construction landscape for hospitals and help create a better environment for patients.
"We think of the patient and we think of the healthcare and clinical aspect first," he said. "We really, ultimately, view ourselves as the platform upon which technology can be integrated and embedded into healthcare infrastructure."