For Herman Miller, Inc., Success Strikes Twice for Compass System

Company’s Healthcare Furnishing Solution Continues to Receive Industry Recognition with Two Prestigious Awards for Design Excellence

The modular Compass System from Herman Miller Healthcare—a division of Herman Miller, Inc., and the leader in providing innovative evidence-based healthcare solutions—continues to expand its impressive list of accolades.

After receiving several industry recognitions since its 2010 introduction, including Overall Award Winner in the Design & Health International Academy Awards 2011, Interior Design’s Best of Year Award and Best of NeoCon® Gold, the healthcare furnishing system was honored twice in June with a Gold Award in the category of General Hospital Devices and Therapeutic Products at the 2011 Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA) ceremony and a Silver IDEA award in the category of Medical & Scientific Products for the 2011 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).

“At Herman Miller Healthcare, we believe recognition from prestigious awards programs reaffirms we are on track with our product development process. Our process includes years of meticulous and thoughtful R&D to discover unrealized patient—and family and caregiver—needs,” said Herman Miller Healthcare President Beth Nickels. “In the end, knowing patients, caregivers, and families can be a little more comfortable during traumatic and often stressful situations is our real prize, and one Herman Miller Healthcare will strive to win year after year with innovative designs for adaptive healthcare spaces.”

A modular system of interchangeable components that can be used to create patient rooms, caregiver work spaces, and other clinical areas, Compass is designed to respond to the changing nature of healthcare delivery. The furnishing solution is a result of an ongoing collaboration between Herman Miller and Continuum as well as the culmination of more than two years of gathering observations from more than 550 individuals—from nurse managers to hospital administrators—to identify the primary needs of the dynamic healthcare environment.

MDEA recognized Herman Miller Healthcare’s Compass system on June 8 for its research-based design and ability to be used in a variety of healing spaces while simultaneously improving the overall delivery of healthcare. Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) unveiled all IDEA award-winners, including Herman Miller, on June 30.

About MDEA
The Medical Design Excellence Awards competition is organized and presented by UBM Canon (Los Angeles) and is the only awards program that exclusively recognizes contributions and advances in the design of medical products. Entries are evaluated on the basis of their design and engineering features, including innovative use of materials, user-related functions that improve healthcare delivery and change traditional medical attitudes or practices, features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient, and the ability of the product development team to overcome design and engineering challenges so that the product meets its clinical objectives. A comprehensive review of the entries was performed by an impartial, multidisciplinary panel of third-party jurors with expertise in biomedical engineering, human factors, industrial design, medicine, and diagnostics.

About IDEA
Started in 1980 by IDSA, the International Design Excellence Awards program (IDEA) fosters business and public understanding about the impact of design excellence on the quality of life and the economy. The IDEA program is considered one of the most preeminent design competitions in the nation with its scope and influence reaching far beyond U.S. boundaries.

About Herman Miller’s Healthcare Businesses
Herman Miller Healthcare and Nemschoff bring over 40 years of experience and a deep understanding of healthcare environments to help clients think strategically about their space—beyond furniture. They leverage this rich insight and an unparalleled product offering to create adaptive environments across the care continuum that are better for patients and smarter for business. Through a network of clinical strategists, clinical designers, and sales professionals, the companies provide research-based, problem-solving solutions to improve working and healing environments. Herman Miller is a charter member of the Health Facility Institute; a Research Partner with the Center for Health Design; and an Industry Partner of the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Design.