Making smarter decisions before construction begins
Bring the right people and insights together early to align priorities, evaluate options and make informed decisions.
You’re focused on a mission to deliver care to your community in the right place, at the right time.
Healthcare projects come with a lot to consider: patient and staff needs, limited resources, aging facilities, new technology and changing models of care. The best path forward starts with understanding what matters most to your organization. From early planning and funding decisions to design and construction, each choice should support better care today and prepare your facilities for what comes next.
Mortenson believes the best healthcare environments start with care delivery, aligning planning, development and construction around the needs of patients, caregivers and operations. Whether your capital project is large or small, it's critical to get it right.
The Mortenson team has taken a collaborative approach to resolve conflicts to move the work forward. The expertise in healthcare construction is invaluable. They understand the nuances of the work and the impacts on the pre-construction. They are always willing to step in above and beyond to ensure project success.
Sandy Miller
Seattle Housing Authority (previously with Kaiser Permanente/CBRE)
Your Trusted Partner in Healthcare Design and Construction
Protecting care delivery in active healthcare environments
Healthcare construction can’t come at the expense of patient care. Thoughtful planning, phasing and coordination help minimize disruption while keeping patients, caregivers and critical operations safe.
Building a stronger continuum of care
Healthcare extends beyond the hospital. Strategic real estate and development solutions help organizations create connected care environments that improve access and support the evolving needs of patients and communities.
Dig deeper into solutions that help you transform care delivery
Delivering better outcomes through innovative approaches
From prefabrication and modular solutions to new ways of planning and delivering work, we apply the right approach to improve efficiency and quality.
What factors are shaping the healthcare landscape?
Strategic Perspectives for Health System Leaders
Resilient capital strategy means measuring success not just in square footage or cost per bed, but by how well each investment supports long-term clinical and financial strength.
Candace Small
Design Phase Executive
Real Estate Solutions for Healthcare
Healthcare Real Estate Development
Explore healthcare real estate development services to enable your ambulatory network, including site selection, due diligence, financing, zoning and entitlement procurement, and integrated project delivery solutions.
Medical Office Buildings
See how health systems are using medical office buildings to expand ambulatory care, improve access and strengthen their networks while supporting long-term financial goals.
Top-Ranked Healthcare Builder
Ranked #10 nationally for healthcare construction by Modern Healthcare, Mortenson brings deep industry experience to projects of every size and complexity.
Disruption Avoidance with Cutting-Edge Technology
Mortenson utilized prefabricated solutions to provide a safe and efficient temporary skyway during construction of Allina’s new Richard M. Schulze Surgical and Critical Care Center, which was constructed in the middle of the active Allina Abbott Northwestern Hospital campus. This transformative solution avoided disrupting the flow of traffic and kept patients, staff, and the construction teams safe on a campus that is used by over 5,000 patients and healthcare providers daily.
Healthcare Construction FAQs
Early contractor involvement works because it forces decisions that would otherwise happen mid-construction to happen on paper first. On the St. Anthony North Hospital tower expansion, Mortenson named four decisions early: where to site the tower, how to protect campus access, which utilities to relocate first, and how to sequence interior work around patient care. That upfront planning compressed the structural schedule by six weeks and opened the tower four weeks ahead of plan.
- Tower and site placement decided early to concentrate construction and protect patient access
- Utility relocation and infrastructure upgrades sequenced before vertical construction begins
- Interior renovation and corridor work sequenced around continuity of care, not construction convenience
- Early alignment across owner, architect, and contractor turns four separate decisions into one schedule
Read a case study about improving cost and schedule certainty for hospital construction.
Healthcare organizations can successfully expand facilities while maintaining patient care by combining early planning, phased construction, infection prevention protocols, and close coordination with clinical teams. The most effective projects prioritize operational continuity from preconstruction through occupancy, minimizing disruptions to patients, caregivers, and critical hospital services.
- Develop phased construction plans around patient care needs
- Coordinate utility shutdowns and facility impacts in advance
- Implement infection prevention and control risk assessments (ICRAs)
- Use prefabrication and off-site construction to reduce on-site disruption
- Engage clinical stakeholders throughout planning and construction
Infection risk in an occupied hospital has to be engineered into the building, not just managed with protocol. On past healthcare projects, Mortenson has installed dedicated infection control wall systems, insulated, prefinished panels that stay dust-free and easy to clean, to contain construction zones without relying on plastic sheeting alone. That physical containment gets paired with strict ICRA planning before work starts near occupied space.
- Use dedicated infection control wall systems, not temporary plastic barriers, for durable containment in active clinical spaces
- Conduct ICRAs before work begins in or near occupied areas
- Coordinate construction air pressure and containment strategy directly with hospital infection prevention teams
- Adjust protection measures throughout the project as campus conditions change
The right delivery method depends on how much a project needs to adapt around clinical operations. Mortenson used CM/GC on St. Anthony North to lock in access and phasing decisions before design was finalized, and used integrated Design-Build with Perkins&Will on the 12-story Providence Swedish First Hill Hughes Tower, which expanded surgical, emergency, ICU, and imaging capacity.
- CM/GC suits projects like St. Anthony North, where phasing decisions need to lock in before design is final
- Design-Build suits projects like the Hughes Tower, where architect and contractor need to move as one integrated team
- Early contractor involvement, under either method, surfaces risk before it becomes cost
- The right choice depends on how much design flexibility the health system needs mid-project
Track record matters more in healthcare construction than almost any other building type, since mistakes show up as disruption to patient care. Mortenson brings 60+ years and $14B+ of national healthcare experience across 71M square feet of facilities, backed by more than 20 ASHE Certified Healthcare Constructors and a healthcare-dedicated leadership team.
- A track record measured in decades and completed square footage, not just active project count
- Staff-level credentials specific to healthcare facilities, like ASHE certification, not just general safety training
- Experience delivering projects on occupied, active campuses, not just ground-up builds
- A dedicated healthcare leadership team, not a rotating general commercial staff