System Design
Blueprint for Better Care: Nurses Shape New Clinic Layout
Schaumburg Outpatient Architectural Rendering, Primary Care and Infusion Center - Lobby & Exterior
In Spring 2024, Lurie Children’s broke ground on a new 75,000 square foot outpatient and infusion center in Schaumburg, scheduled to open in fall 2025. Lurie Children’s Huntley and Arlington Heights locations will transition to the new outpatient center growing Lurie Children’s footprint in the northwest suburbs. The center will offer ancillary and diagnostic services, orthotics and prosthetics, laboratory, and pharmacy services, as well as an ambulatory infusion center with the capacity to expand services.
As experts in their area, Lurie Children’s nurses are providing crucial feedback to ensure that the new facility meets the highest standards of efficiency, accessibility, and comfort for not only patients and their families but for Lurie Children’s team members as well. Nurses have provided feedback on numerous aspects of the center, including the layout of patient rooms. Their input is shaping decisions on everything from furniture placement to infection control protocols, ensuring that the facility is designed with both patients and providers in mind.
Carrie Davis, BSN, RN, CPN, a nurse at Lurie Children’s Outpatient Center at Arlington Heights, said, “I worked with leadership on space allocation exercises and planning for the additional programming that will be offered at the Schaumburg site. Based on years of experience at multiple Lurie Children’s outpatient centers, I shared my perspective during exam room planning. The experience was so rewarding— we made a number of changes to the exam room mock-up to best meet patient, clinical, and infection prevention and control needs.”
Schaumburg Outpatient, Primary Care and Infusion Center; Kathy Arsini, MBA, BSN, RN, CPN, Patient Care Operations Manager, Arlington Heights & Huntley Outpatient Centers (left) and Alisa Chandrabose, MBA, BSN, RN, CPN, Sr. Director, Ambulatory Administration
“We want to make the new outpatient and infusion center work for everyone, from those delivering the care to those receiving it,” said Kathy Arsini, MBA, BSN, RN, CPN, Patient Care Operations Manager, Outpatient Center in Arlington Heights & Huntley, “Our nurses bring an unparalleled understanding of what works best in a clinical setting. From workflow improvements to patient comfort, they are instrumental in identifying key features that will enhance care delivery. Their input is critical to the success of patient flow, engagement and really appreciating the footprint of where they will be working.”
“It’s so important for our team to feel comfortable in the space they will be working. Historically, we have had to retrofit spaces to work for clinicians. We are giving the teams at Huntley and Arlington Heights the opportunity to right-size things before they take occupancy,”
said Alisa Chandrabose, MBA, BSN, RN, CPN.
Nurses Collaborate to Cut Wait for Patient Transfers
Lurie Children’s nurses are dedicated to delivering the highest quality care and experience for patients and their families. Listening to patient and family feedback made clear a key concern: long wait times for admission from the Emergency Department (ED) or procedural areas were negatively impacting the overall experience. Motivated to make a difference, nurses collaborated across units to streamline the transfer process, reduce delays and enhance the patient journey.
When the “Ready to Move” improvement project launched in May 2024, the average wait time for transfer to an inpatient unit was nearly three hours (170 minutes). Under the leadership of Crystal Cabezas, MBA, MSN, RN, Manager, Throughput Operations; Courtney Johnson, MSN, RN, CNML, Director, Patient Access Center; and Jasmine Rossman, MS-HSM, Senior Process Improvement Project Consultant, Throughput Operations, a multidisciplinary team was formed. This team included managers and charge nurses from each inpatient unit, the ED, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit and Medical Imaging Nursing Team. Together, they began by mapping the current transfer process, identifying barriers to smooth transitions, and conducting real-time observations of patient handoffs. They also gathered input from nurses directly involved in transfers to understand pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Purvi Shah, BSN, RN, CPN, Charge Nurse on Inpatient 17 and Joshua, 7 years old
As a result of their efforts, the team achieved a remarkable 44 percent reduction in wait times by February 2025. The time for bed assignment dropped from 40 minutes to 25 minutes, while the time from patient movement to handoff was cut from 120 minutes to just 60 minutes.
“The key to our progress was removing silos and working together to standardize transfer communication across units. We initially found significant variability in workflows and handoff timing. By collaborating, we made the transfer process much more efficient.”
said Crystal Cabezas, MBA, MSN, RN, Manager, Throughput Operations
The team remains committed to reaching their ultimate goal of reducing average wait time to 60 minutes. Charge nurses and nurse managers continue to meet monthly to review data, incorporate feedback from frontline staff, troubleshoot issues and implement new strategies.
“It continues to be a true collaboration, with invaluable feedback from frontline nurses about the barriers they face and possible solutions,” said Purvi Shah, BSN, RN, CPN, Charge Nurse on Inpatient 17. “We know there’s still work to do, but we’re proud to celebrate the progress we’ve made together.”
