Investments in Hospital Security Are Top of Mind Following Mass Shootings
Increasing security measures at hospitals can come with significant financial and logistical challenges, but there are actionable steps and investments healthcare leaders can take to ensure the safety of the staff and patients within their organizations.
Healthcare Worker Wellness and the Surprising Impact of Flooring
The topic of ergonomics as related to flooring should be comprehensively defined to include comfort, fatigue, musculoskeletal strain, and injury and emotional stress created by noise in the interior environment. Each factor contributes to or detracts from the general well-being of patients, residents, and staff.
Insight in Preparedness for Healthcare Facilities
Here, we will analyze several of the key drivers of hospital/medical facility planning and design required to meet future needs—including the need for energy efficiency, an understanding of available redundancy, and a comparison of first costs versus life cycle costs.
Airborne Contamination Insights From the Pandemic and Strategies to Optimize Efficiency
By Jennifer Wagner, PhD, CIC, and Damon G. Greeley, PE, CEM, HFDP, CBCP, EDAC, CHFM, A-IPC As more people are vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, many would like to resume their routine medical appointments and elective surgeries. Research indicates that airborne transmission of aerosolized droplets may be a significant factor for the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 … Continued
Report: Building a Smarter Healthcare Facility
A new report from Honeywell gives healthcare facility managers a chance to voice their thoughts and concerns after more than a year of weathering the pandemic. The report found that 94% of healthcare managers said remote management is important for operational efficiency. Only one in four respondents have such a system in place, but 26% said they plan on investing in this technology over the next year to 18 months.
Hurricane Ida Illustrates Need for Plans Within Emergency Plans
Most hospitals in Louisiana were forced to shelter in place as category 4 Hurricane Ida swept in from the Gulf of Mexico Sunday, August 29, because there was no place to go with evacuated patients as another COVID-19 surge filled normally available facilities to capacity, according to several media reports.
What’s Ahead for Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Based on an industrywide study, ASCs continue to perform more than half of all U.S. outpatient surgical procedures, and they can expect to see greater volumes as the number of outpatient procedures increases an estimated 15% by 2028. However, analysts predict this number will be even higher based on the CMS 2021 final rule on the Outpatient Prospective Payment System and ASCs.
Need to Lower Overhead Costs? Try a Space Management Plan
Healthcare leaders are investigating options for reducing overhead costs. In addition, social distancing requirements for patient and staff safety are forcing hospitals to devise strategies on how to approach space use. In unprecedented times like these, healthcare organizations should consider space management strategies to reduce overhead costs.
More OSHA Scrutiny on Healthcare Organizations, Expanded Whistleblower Protections
In March, OSHA issued its Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The updates extend existing OSHA protections for workplace safety whistleblowers, explicitly stating those protections apply to those who report COVID-19 related violations at the workplace by creating a National Emphasis Program (NEP).
Emergency Preparedness and Utility Infrastructure in Healthcare
As the COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the country and around the world, healthcare organizations can now pivot from frontline surge preparation and focus on futureproofing their facilities. While hospitals successfully implemented emergency facility upgrades and stopgap measures to meet pressing pandemic demands, now is the perfect time for healthcare leaders to take a more comprehensive approach to their utility infrastructure capacity and capabilities.