At midafternoon on a recent weekday, the vast waiting area at University of Colorado Hospital's new emergency room is empty. Missing are the dozens of patients who crowd a typical ER lobby, often waiting more than an hour to see a doctor. Empty, though, does not mean idle. Behind secured doors, a warren of treatment rooms is packed with complaints of chest pain, dizziness and earaches, some of the 230 patients University Hospital's ER will see on a given day. That's just the way the design team wants it. They meticulously planned the space to employ retail magic alongside medical miracles, putting the hospital at the forefront of a national movement to deliver health care with industrial efficiency.
