On the Skokie Hospital campus, NorthShore University HealthSystem set out to bring a wide range of outpatient services into one place. This makes care easier to access, easier to navigate, and more connected for patients.
The result was a new five-story, 125,000-square-foot ambulatory care center designed to house primary care, imaging, lab services, OB/GYN, and outpatient surgery under one roof.
But the building itself was only part of the equation. The real challenge was delivering it in a way that didn’t interrupt the care already happening around it.
This work had to move forward inside an active hospital without disrupting patient access, staff operations, or emergency routes. At the same time, multiple clinical programs were being brought together into a single facility, each with its own workflows and requirements.
IFS provided owner-side leadership focused on coordination and control. Clinical, operational, and construction teams were aligned early. Work was sequenced to fit the constraints of an active campus. Communication remained consistent, so decisions stayed clear as the project progressed.
It was planned from the beginning and carried through to execution.
As a result, the transition into the new facility happened without disruption to care. Outpatient services were successfully consolidated into a single, integrated location, with move-in completed over three consecutive weekends. Patient care continued uninterrupted throughout the process, and emergency access remained fully operational, even during roadway and traffic adjustments.
Today, the ambulatory care center delivers a more connected experience for patients, bringing services together in a way that improves both access and coordination. For the health system, it created alignment across programs that were once distributed, turning what could have been a complex transition into a more cohesive, functional environment.
