This story originally appeared in the June 2007 issue of DOTmed Business News.

Deep in the basements and nether recesses of many hospitals are situated such remote units as interventional radiology and other medical imaging departments. Protected by radiofrequency shielding, the workers and patients in these units often pay a price in terms of the attractiveness of their windowless surroundings. But things are changing thanks to an innovative organization that brings the outdoors in, and provides uplifting artwork in some of the least expected places in health care settings.

The Art Research Institute designs appealing backlit panels that integrate into drop ceilings and walls of medical imaging suites and throughout the hospital. The healing images are designed to bring warmth, ambience, and positive energy into any environment where they are installed.

Art Research Institute, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., was founded in 1977 by artist Joey Fischer who watched his dad struggle to heal after a heart attack, surrounded by a depressing institutional setting. "Lying in the ICU, he would tell me how many holes there were in a specific quadrant of the ceiling. He must have counted the holes several times a day, ultimately to occupy his time and to keep his mind agile," said Fischer.

In visiting his dad in the hospital, Fischer noticed that when you pass through the lobby and into the inner core of a facility, the physical environment rapidly deteriorates. "Endless corridors leading to cold, clinical treatment and imaging departments with their high-tech, sterile, stainless steel environments, could terrify the bravest souls," he noted. "Patient-friendly design rarely reached into the actual rooms where treatment was delivered, or down to the dark, windowless basements where the radiation therapy department dwells. It's really scary down there."

Fischer and his wife Janet began a crusade to create patient-friendly healing environments using visual therapy techniques. "Visual therapy installations are a sign of caring that is instantly perceived and deeply appreciated by the patient as well as the caregivers themselves," he said.

Wrapping ceilings and walls surrounding intimidating medical equipment with photographic transparencies and photo mural prints creates a positive, patient-friendly environment that is an instant sign of caring. "Best of all," Fischer says, "it's always a beautiful day, every day in my imagery."

It's not just the patient experience that is enhanced by attractive surroundings. It also helps the technologists because patients are more cooperative. Fischer reports that hospital personnel have observed that patients are less nervous so they twitch and fidget less, which helps speed the performance of exams or administration of treatment. Also, working in a beautiful suite is much more pleasant than in a clinical-looking locale. Fischer's designs, marketed under CeilingMural(TM) and INDOWs(TM) WallMural Transparencies, and the generic name "VisualTherapy" are good investments for hospitals. Architects and healthcare interior designers routinely specify Fischer's images for their projects. "VisualTherapy is a well defined competitive edge for facilities," he said. "Especially in this age of hospitals scrambling for ways to attract and satisfy patients. It's a sure and cost-effective way to market a facility's philosophical commitment to quality patient care."

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