In January 2006, an expert Roundtable was convened to address the subject of the Hospital of the Future. The Hospital of the Future Roundtable is charged to evaluate the current health care environment and identify the elements of the future hospital that will position it to play an appropriate role or roles in meeting the needs of patients and publics. Among the many factors that will bear upon the Roundtable’s deliberations are the growing elderly population; explosive growth in the numbers of individuals with chronic conditions; the seemingly insatiable demand for emergency care services and intensive care; progressive expansion of applications for minimally invasive surgery and other procedures; the inexorable continuing rise in health care costs; and heightened concerns about inefficiency, access to care, and medical error across the delivery system. The Roundtable is expected to meet over the course of the next several months. The Joint Commission and Joint Commission Resources hosted a national symposium addressing the Hospital of the Future early in 2007, followed by the publication of a white paper.
We would like to thank 
for its provision of an unrestricted grant in support of this initiative.
ARAMARK Healthcare provides non-clinical services for the entire healthcare continuum in an effort to drive satisfaction, operational efficiency and service excellence outcomes for patients and their families and the physicians and nurses who care for them. Through its facility, food and clinical technology services, ARAMARK Healthcare services more than 1,300 hospitals and senior living facilities across North America.