Academy of Architecture for Health

Hi Roger,
I have been a Healthcare designer and medical planner for almost 30 years.  There is no magic ratio between the number of ICU beds and Med/surg beds.  An analysis should be done of the historical patient days and admissions for each type of critical care unit to look at trends.  The average length of stay should also be analyzed to make sure they are with normative ranges.  A 5 and 10 year projection of patient days should be made based upon a market analysis or strategic plan prepared by the hospital or health system.  Based upon the projected number of patient days and efficiency factor, the number of ICU beds is determined.  That number can be modified if there are step down beds available nearby to free up the ICU once a patient is out of the critical stage. 
Hope this helps.
David

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David Lopez Assoc. AIA, LEED AP
Senior Health Care Planner
Altus Architectural Studios
Dallas TX
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Roger,
Great question, and I argree there is no fixed planning ratio. So, here's data from our most recent new free-standing community hospitals of 60 to 80 beds. 20-25% of the beds are in the ICU setting. This is higher than in the past, due to the shift to outpatient care, with sicker patients remaining in the acute care setting.
Chuck

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Charles Cole AIA
Principal
Hunton Brady Architects, P.A.
Orlando FL
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