Kimball International is proud to release its latest healthcare trends white paper, Insights from a National Series of Healthcare Design Panels. This report offers a nationwide perspective on the forces reshaping healthcare environments and what they mean for the future of the built environment. The report synthesizes insights gathered from eight panel discussions held across the U.S. between October 2025 and August 2026, bringing together 28 leaders from healthcare systems and architecture and design firms.

Based on a series of panel discussions held in Dallas, Chicago, Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Phoenix, and at the 2025 Healthcare Design Conference in Kansas City, the white paper reveals a remarkable level of alignment among healthcare and design leaders. Across markets and roles, participants identified healthcare as becoming more connected, more flexible, and more focused on the human experience. 

The report identifies five emerging trends influencing healthcare design and care delivery:

• Seeing the Full Patient Picture examines the shift from symptom-based treatment to whole-person care, emphasizing behavioral health integration, neuroinclusive design, and environments that support physical, emotional, and social well-being.
• Connecting Health & Home explores how healthcare is expanding beyond traditional facilities into homes, neighborhoods, and everyday settings, creating demand for spaces that blend clinical performance with residential comfort.
• New Types of Learning Spaces highlights the growing role of healthcare facilities as centers for education, prevention, and community empowerment through flexible, multi-purpose environments.
• From Mega-Districts to Micro-Clinics investigates how healthcare organizations are balancing large-scale campuses with distributed care settings, leveraging modular and scalable design strategies to maintain consistency across locations.
• Design for Safety of Body & Mind focuses on safety, resilience, staff well-being, and dignity as foundational design principles that support both patients and caregivers.

“The conversations captured in this white paper revealed that healthcare leaders are thinking far beyond traditional care environments,” said Jessica Gubbins, Vice President of Brand, Digital, and Insights Marketing for Kimball International. “Healthcare is occurring across a wide range of settings, and organizations are looking for environments that support wellness, learning, flexibility, and human connection. These findings provide valuable insight into how healthcare spaces must evolve to meet the changing needs of patients, providers, and communities.”

The white paper reflects the collective insights of healthcare executives, planners, designers, and facility leaders who are helping shape the next generation of healthcare environments. Their perspectives point to a future where healthcare spaces do more than support treatment. They also foster learning, resilience, connection, and community well-being.