At the ASHE PDC conference in San Diego in March, it was the topic of conversation-the looming specter of healthcare reform. In sessions, keynotes, on the sales floor, at dinners, and on every television set you happened by in hotel lobbies, talk of healthcare reform dominated the week.

Surprisingly, politics didn't really figure into the discussion. Sure, there were opinions voiced (some louder than others), but for the most part, everyone just wanted to know what was going to happen. As one particularly astute vendor told me, “Regardless of your political leanings, we all just want to know the rules so we can get on with business.” That sentiment was echoed by nearly everyone I encountered.

It speaks to the effect that reform is going to have on the healthcare design and construction industry that many have reached the point that they just want something to happen so business can go on. One can hardly blame owners for not wanting to commit potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to new construction or renovation without knowing what's going to happen-the rug could get pulled out from under them to the tune of many, many zeroes. This, of course, is trickling down to the rest of the industry as with no new projects, their bottom lines are sagging, as well. As the rest of the country continues to rebound from the recent economic woes, the healthcare design and construction industry continues to be handcuffed into inactivity. The voices I heard were mostly frustrated more than fearful.

Well, now a bill has been passed, but I feel it will be some months yet before that all-important set of “rules” will be established and things get back to “normal”-or at least what will be considered “normal” under the new policy. The waiting game now begins in earnest, as surely many of you out there in the field are already feeling the pinch of the recent downturn in activity.

In the meantime, pundits are lining up to give opinions on the reform bill and what it means to you and everyone else, and debate rages on in the halls of congress. It's a complicated issue to be sure, one that will hopefully be simplified sooner rather than later. HBI