Hospitals merge design and building to cut costs

Hospitals and healthcare institutions have strong reason to control construction costs. A case in point: The first free-standing hospital project in New York State in more than two decades, according to the state's Department of Health, is being built using an unusual construction method to cut costs by almost a third. To build what is estimated to be a $269 million hospital, Orange Regional Medical Center chose a construction company that uses the design-build method, which differs from traditional construction because the architect and general contractor are from one company.