Plenty of hospitals have put up fancy wings or spiffed up special floors for the likes of Saudi princes with prostate problems. But Northwestern is the latest, and glitziest, example of a nationwide trend: consolidating a mishmash of outdated medical facilities into a single building with customer-friendly service and accommodations that owe more to Mr. Hilton than to Dr. Kildare. (An I. M. Pei-designed hospital at UCLA will offer all patients food on demand, room-service style.) The American Hospital Association says hundreds of hospitals are replacing aging facilities. The efficiencies of the new hospitals should pay for their amenities, which should help attract patients in a fiercely competitive market.
