Don’t Wait for Trouble: Risk Mitigation Drives Healthcare Construction Success

By

Anna Toon

, Chris Lucas

, and Tara Cohn

Last Updated Mar 9, 2026

By

Anna Toon

, Chris Lucas

, and Tara Cohn

In healthcare construction, risk mitigation doesn’t mean waiting until issues happen to respond. While addressing problems after they take place is important, relying on that method alone will compromise project outcomes. 

To protect project success and patient safety, the best defense is proactive planning in the form of risk identification and mitigation. Leaders need to steer projects with foresight, teams need clear protocols to follow, and stakeholders need constant communication to support collaboration and create alignment.

While some hospital leaders may assume risk mitigation is covered through routine processes  (filing permits, conducting safety meetings, reviewing contractor insurance, etc.), their construction projects require more than routine compliance and oversight. 

When it comes to managing and reducing risk, the true challenge is anticipating and identifying possible weaknesses before, during, and after project completion. 

Fixing things that go wrong can be fairly straightforward. The harder part is identifying those risks before they happen. What have you not thought of yet? Where can you fail? Where are your biggest vulnerabilities?

Chris Lucas

Director of Construction

Tampa General Hospital

While the answers to these questions will be different for every hospital project, going through this process is critical to achieving stability.

To build true resilience, hospital leaders and project managers must look beyond obvious threats to uncover and prepare for the hidden vulnerabilities that could disrupt operations, compromise patient safety, or lead to costly delays. This requires a proactive mindset that systematically addresses threats before they escalate.

Identify potential risks.

A proactive approach requires identifying potential risks throughout every project stage. Which events are most likely to happen? Which will have the biggest impact if left unaddressed? What blind spots are you likely overlooking?

Begin the risk-identification process by working closely with other stakeholders (contractors, hospital staff, project managers) to brainstorm possible issues. Each team member will have a different viewpoint. This collaborative approach helps you take advantage of diverse experiences and expertise, increasing the likelihood of uncovering less obvious but still significant risks.

In addition, review historical data from similar projects to get valuable insights into the most likely risks. This process often reveals patterns, common challenges, and trends so you can anticipate problems and avoid repeating mistakes. For example, delays in permitting and inspections might be a common issue. Knowing this allows you to build more realistic project timelines and contingency plans.

Depending on factors like project location, scope, and resource availability, possible risks in each phase of construction can include:

Planning

• Inaccurate budgeting and forecasting
• Overlooked clinical or operational requirements
• Neglected codes or regulatory changes

Design

• Permitting delays
• Scope creep
• Unforeseen environmental/site risks

Bidding/Procurement

• Inaccurate bids
• Unqualified contractor selection
• Supply chain disruptions

Construction

• Infection control failure
• Operational disruption
• Safety hazards
• Schedule delays
• Cost overruns

Commissioning

• System failure
• Failed inspections

Prioritize the right mitigation efforts.

Once risks are identified, prioritize them based on their likelihood and potential impact so you can allocate resources effectively.

As you prioritize projects in an attempt to mitigate risk, there’s a substantial difference between leaning into something that will likely generate clear amounts of revenue versus addressing something that could cause costly disruption.

Tara Cohn

Director

Wipfli LLP

To determine which risks to tackle first, weigh the costs of each potential disruption against the benefits of revenue-generating opportunities. This means comparing the consequences of not addressing the risk against the potential gains associated with addressing the risk. Then, position your attention and resources toward the risks that could cause significant loss or threaten financial and operational goals.

High-impact, high-likelihood risks should be the top priority — especially those that can affect patient safety, mission-critical hospital operations, or regulatory compliance. 

As the project progresses, continuously monitor risk status. Risk levels can change, and new risks can emerge.

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Real-time data turns insight into action.

Data and technology play a big role in helping teams sort through and manage priorities for effective risk mitigation. The right digital tools can streamline risk assessment, enhance compliance and support continuous improvement. 

This capability supports a smarter and more agile response at each phase of construction. Enabling real-time visibility means potential threats and mitigation strategies can be anticipated, evaluated and documented. 

For example, accurate forecasting depends on real-time visibility. With up-to-date information at your fingertips, you can generate forecasts that incorporate historical data and reflect the current state of your project. You can model the potential impacts of disruptions as they arise, adjust proactively, and model scenarios to see how outputs change as the project moves forward. 

The Path Forward: Proactive Risk Management

Successful healthcare construction projects do not happen by chance. They are the result of deliberate planning, informed decision-making and a culture that prioritizes risk mitigation from day one.

Proactive risk management is not just a project-level task. It is a leadership responsibility that spans planning, procurement, construction and commissioning. It means identifying vulnerabilities before they surface, addressing gaps with data-driven strategies, and staying aligned with clinical priorities and regulatory demands throughout the project lifecycle.

Leaders who embrace this approach create safer environments for patients and staff, protect the integrity of care delivery, and avoid costly setbacks that compromise outcomes. In a healthcare environment where margins are tight and the cost of failure is high, reactive project management is no longer enough.

The path forward is clear: Constructing durable healthcare infrastructure that will benefit patients and communities for decades requires a proactive, resilient approach to risk.

Written by

Anna Toon

Director of Public Sector Marketing | Procore Technologies

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Chris Lucas

Director of Construction | Tampa General Hospital

Chris Lucas is the Director of Construction at Tampa General Hospital, where he oversees infrastructure development for the region’s leading academic medical center. Based in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, Chris has more than 20 years of experience managing complex institutional and healthcare capital projects.

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Tara Cohn

Director | Wipfli LLP

Tara Cohn is a director with over 15 years of experience in providing healthcare data analytics services. She helps leaders improve decision-making and achieve success with the use of data analytics. Tara’s experience includes provider practice, hospital/health system and healthcare startup/technology. She is a healthcare subject matter expert and has supported initiatives across operations, clinical care, quality, compliance, patient experience, population health, marketing, strategic planning, finance, revenue cycle and human resources. Tara’s passion is in leveraging data analytics to help organizations achieve their full potential with a focus on transparency, optimization and automation via the power of data storytelling.

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