MHA Society for Health Care Engineers

CMS now permits six-year damper tests in hospitals

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a memo allowing hospitals to use six-year frequencies for smoke and fire damper tests.

This move ends a conflicting provision between CMS and The Joint Commission, as the commission has allowed six-year damper testing for some time under its environment of care standards, while CMS had maintained four-year testing rules.

Read more here.

ASHES names 2010 president

The American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services has elected as its president for 2010 Fiona Nemetz, director of environmental services, patient transportation, safety and parking at Saint Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta. ASHES is an American Hospital Association personal membership group for professionals in environmental services, housekeeping, waste management, transport and textile care.

“The opportunity for the facility support team to make a difference in the patient experience is immense,” said Nemetz.

Facilities Accreditation Program Adopts NQF Safe Practices

Since The National Quality Forum released the 2009 Update of its Safe Practices for Better Healthcare, Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program has adopted the 34 safe practices, which will now be implemented by all HFAP-accredited hospitals.

NQF has added seven new practices that will be incorporated in the new standards throughout the manual. Two of these will be retired because other measurement strategies are covering the same events. These new practices include disclosure, support of caregivers, pharmacist leadership structures and systems, glycemic control, and fall prevention.

Read more here.

New White Paper Answers Bed Bug Questions

With bed bugs continuing to make headlines, pest control company Orkin, Inc. and the American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services (ASHES) of the American Hospital Association have released a new white paper to answer questions about bed bugs and their implications for healthcare and long-term care providers. Read more here.

MHA hosting FREE H1N1 and Other Novel Viruses seminar

On Friday, Sept. 18, the Mississippi Hospital Association will host a free seminar on H1N1 and other novel viruses from 9 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. The seminar is designed for CEOs, risk managers, HR managers, nurse executives, health care engineers, infection preventionists and emergency preparedness staff.

Experts from the Mississippi State Department of Health and hospitals across the state will serve as the faculty for this important session. Topics covered will include pandemic preparedness, closed points of dispensation, triage, vaccines, messaging, and community planning.

A brochure/registration form is attached below. You may also register online at www.mhafoundation.org. For more information, contact Robin Powell at (800) 289-8884, (601) 368-3214 or rpowell@mhanet.org.

Download H1N1 and other novel viruses 9 18 09

Ask Your Staff About These Three Life Safety Issues

While they may look like common, innocuous problems to you, The Joint Commission life safety specialists may take a decidedly stricter view. Corridor clutter, damaged fire-rated doors, and unsealed penetrations in rated barriers are three pieces of low-hanging fruit that life safety specialists will target.

Read more here.

Engineering Tactics Can Identify Broader Inefficiencies in Your Hospital

Though the alliance may not be obvious, hospital leaders can turn to their facilities directors and engineers for advice on how to identify inefficiencies. That was the prime lesson attendees heard during a keynote last week at the American Society for Healthcare Engineering's annual conference in Anaheim, CA.

Learn more here.

2009 MSHE Dennis Cagle Memorial Engineer of the Year Award

If you know of a Healthcare Engineer (including yourself) that you believe has gone the extra mile to promote the Healthcare Engineering profession, please complete the nomination form attached below. Nominees will be contacted and asked to submit various documentation for review by a committee that will be appointed at large. This committee will be asked to choose the recipient of the 2009 Engineer of the Year Award.

The winner will receive an ASHE membership and will be the Society’s nominee for the ASHE Emerging Leader Award.

For additional information, please contact Robert Huffman, President, at (662) 495-2109. The recipient of this year’s award will be announced at the Fall Meeting to be held November 17, 2009, at MHA in Madison, MS.

All nominations must be submitted to Robin Powell no later than September 15, 2009.

Download HCE Engr of the Yr nomination form

The Infection Preventionists and MHA Society for Health Care Engineers Joint Fall Meeting set for November

The Infection Preventionists and MHA Society for Health Care Engineers Joint Fall Meeting is set for November 19 at the MHA Conference Center in Madison. Speakers include Christine Nutty, RN, MSN, CIC, and Joseph Drapala, CIH, CHMM. Sessions will cover handling a surge of infectious disease patients, an update on state emergency preparedness efforts, and occupational hygiene and environmental issues.

For more information, contact Robin Powell at (800) 289-8884, (601) 368-3214 or rpowell@mhanet.org. A brochure is attached below. You may also register online here.

Download HCE IP Brochure Nov 17 09

ASHES launches online learning center

The AHA’s American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services on July 22 launched a Web site offering 24/7 access to more than 100 educational sessions from ASHES events. Topics include design and construction, disaster preparedness, environmental sanitation, infection control, process improvement, patient satisfaction, patient transport, regulatory compliance, staff management, and textiles and linen services.

For more information, visit www.softconference.com/ashe.