Charting the future of patient care: Inside Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Innovation Design Unit

Few organizations have created environments that truly support this level of innovation — let alone with the right balance of flexibility and purpose. Until now. 

Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s (UNMC) Innovation Design Unit (IDU) is a bold leap toward redefining the future of healthcare delivery, and our Blue Cottage of CannonDesign team was honored to play a pivotal role in its development. Across 10 months, we partnered with these forward-thinking organizations on an extensive visioning and planning effort to create the concept and framework for the IDU. Our shared goal was to create an active care environment that could serve as a testing ground for new practices and inform future facilities within Project NExT — a transformative investment into both Nebraska Medicine and UNMC, focused on system-wide innovation in care delivery, education and research. 

Our team led an extensive engagement process with more than 800 stakeholders across Nebraska Medicine, UNMC and the broader community — gathering insights through interviews, workshops and surveys to shape a shared vision for the IDU. Building on this foundation, we developed the framework that guided its design, brought to life by the Studio NExT architectural team, including RDG, HDR, Leo A. Daly, Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture and Specialized Engineering Solutions. 

Opened in January 2025, the IDU has quickly become a catalyst for care model innovation. Spanning 20,000 square feet of active patient care space, it features 17 highly adaptable patient rooms designed to trial equipment and care delivery methods in real-time, along with 4,500 square feet dedicated to testing and evaluating new healthcare solutions. 

Current projects include piloting virtual nursing within team-based models, implementing interactive patient experience platforms, deploying real-time location systems and exploring innovations in furniture, medical equipment and staff respite. 

“The vision for the IDU was to create a venue and — more importantly — a platform and infrastructure that empowers Nebraska Medicine and UNMC to reach unprecedented levels of extraordinary,” said Brandy Houston, principal at Blue Cottage of CannonDesign. "This project uniquely fulfills that ambition without compromise — elevating patient care, pioneering innovative solutions and enabling the seamless sharing of knowledge. What was imagined is what was built. The team at Nebraska Medicine and UNMC followed through in an extraordinary way."

From its inception, the IDU was meant to be more than just a care unit — it needed to be a dynamic environment where patients, care teams and researchers converged to explore the future of healthcare. Blue Cottage's planning efforts extended beyond just the functions within the IDU itself to its integration into the larger ecosystem, including the development of an Innovation Organization and Lifecycle — acknowledging and leveraging the IDU's role within the broader Nebraska Medicine and UNMC network. “The IDU was never intended to exist in isolation,” added Brandy. “It was purposefully designed to bridge gaps and make waves across the organization, both physically and virtually.” 

Unpacking the IDU

While innovation in care delivery and experience is the core purpose of the IDU, its mission extends across several key areas: 

• Enhancing quality, safety and clinical outcomes.  
• Creating efficient spaces for work, practice, education and staffing. 
• Optimizing team-based care and communication. 
• Improving the well-being of physicians, staff, learners and care providers. 
• Reducing the cost of care. 
• Offering a safe, equitable and inviting environment. 

The IDU is built on the understanding that care model innovation thrives when staff and learners are empowered to excel. At its core is the "Health Hub," a central care team station strategically positioned near adaptable teaming and collaboration spaces that fosters seamless and flexible interaction among care staff and collaborators. Enhancing this central space are various approaches to decentralized care team stations designed to streamline workflows and bring care providers closer to patients. 

To support staff well-being, the unit includes private retreat rooms where team members can recharge and refocus. With a strong focus on learning, it also includes a simulation room that replicates an active patient room as well as an adjacent breakout space with monitors providing an environment for education and discussion.

The IDU’s 17 patient rooms are divided into zones to test various care models and workflows. Care levels range from medical-surgical to intensive, with two intensive care rooms equipped with an anteroom. Flexibility is also front and center with modular DIRTT panels used for most walls and ceilings, allowing quick adaptations, while patient rooms are pre-configured for double occupancy to allow for quick adaptation in volume-surge scenarios.

Adjacent to the active care unit is a design and testing zone, often referred to as the Bridge Space. This area serves as a hub for piloting and refining new projects through the Bridge Innovation Program. Scientists, researchers, clinicians and industry partners collaborate here to prioritize, develop and evaluate innovations. Projects here will be fast-tracked for implementation, where deemed appropriate.