About the author

Lance Woolf

Director of Life Safety Compliance

Former Joint Commission Life Safety Code Surveyor with over 17 years of experience in healthcare.

ASHE 2022 Top 5 Key Takeaways

Out of all the amazing speakers and topics, I came away with 5 repeated themes from the conference and what they may mean for you as you soon head into 2023. Here's my top five key takeaways in priority order.

Importance of Environment of Care Tours

The Joint Commission rescinded the Environment of Care tour standard requirement of twice a year in clinical and once a year in non-clinical. Is this still important? Is it a best practice to continue?

New Water Management Standards & What They Mean

New standards in water management are raising a lot of questions, specifically related to hospital facilities that are attached to a medical office building (MOB).

Cybersecurity: A New Focus for Emergency Preparedness

As with every new year, new regulations and upcoming changes are on the horizon. Cybersecurity will become a new regulation this year with the Joint Commission under the emergency preparedness standards. It has become a focal area within the last few years due to the advance of ransomware affecting hospitals nationwide.

Redesigning, Rebranding, and Reimagining - Soleran 2021 Recap

Cutting-edge innovation is where we live. It has always been a hallmark of our business. This year was no exception.

Is Your Facility’s Software Up To Snuff?

Engineering departments are now required to use programs that not only project future maintenance issues, but also help justify equipment changes and staffing levels.

Future Healthcare Building Designs

Multiple facility directors shared with me how they are already approaching future designs due to COVID. These points may help justify the increase in cost per square footage to the C-Suite because of facility redesign.

A Facility Director's Dream: Compliance Survey Dashboard

The Compliance Survey Dashboard is a program that helps you not only transition to 100% electronic documentation but gives you the ability to immediately check where you are in your regulatory testing at the touch of a button.

5 Key Takeaways from ASHE Annual Conference

With all my years of experience as a facility director and Joint Commission surveyor, I came away with a few great nuggets worth sharing.

Upgrading your Preventative Maintenance Program

Facility directors today are wondering what to do with their current and already outdated PM program. Over the last few years, preventative maintenance has evolved so much that every program keeps requiring more and more. Demands have progressed to the point they are not only being used for PM scheduling and regulatory compliance, but they are also being utilized for financial projections, staff performance, and asset longevity projections.

Networking to Increase Efficiency?

Unfortunately, as facility directors, we are often over-tasked to the point that we become a product of our environment and fail to look for outside-the-box resources. Often, it is just due to a lack of time, not due to a lack of need.

ICM-Why Your Facility Needs It

With the clinical side being pushed to telehealth in 2020, the move to electronic documentation has been inevitable. So, you may be already asking, “What is ICM and what does it do?”

Transitioning to digital documentation

Everything seems to be transitioning to digital or electronic these days. As a former facilities director, the notion of switching everything over can be daunting and a bit overwhelming.

Trust your Building Automation System, But Verify

Why is it essential to audit your building automation system? Building automation systems are the internal brain for facilities and should respond without having to input values daily to maintain the most beneficial environment.

Updates to Emergency Preparedness Standards

With the recent events of COVID-19, accreditation agencies have already stated there will be changes with the standards in 2021, but have not specifically identified what they will be.

Clarification on Fire Sprinkler Spares (LS 02.01.35 EP 7)

There has been some confusion with The Joint Commission’s new revisions on standard LS 02.01.35 EP 7 because it seems like the same old standard in an abridged manner. So what are the changes?

Exploring the Pitfalls of Specializing Trades Within the Engineering Department

We have reached the end of our inaugural Facility Compliance Think Tank webinar series. The need for the healthcare facility community to come together to discuss and generate ideas as we all work our way through the pandemic makes our educational effort more important than ever.

Top 5 Healthcare Compliance Changes in 2021

With the introduction of COVID-19, many healthcare facility areas that were originally deemed prepared for a pandemic outbreak were not as equipped as initially thought.

Increasing Compliance Proficiency Through Digital Automation

“Now findings can be seen by the manager in real-time and corrected on the spot or on the same day of the finding.” -Brian Schott, Environmental Care Specialist, ASC, HEM at Johns Hopkins Hospital

How to Maintain Healthcare Facilities with Limited Resources

We are off and rolling with our third of five webinars in our fall series entitled, “Facility Compliance Think Tank.” We have new and tons of repeat attendees every webinar!

Possible Changes in Emergency Preparedness

Last Thursday, we hosted our second of five webinars in our fall series entitled, “Facility Compliance Think Tank.” The response has been exciting!

Getting Ahead of the Facility Tech Curve

Facility directors always mentioned keeping track of all the regulations and required documentation as a daunting task. I was often asked about other alternatives to the usual binder systems.

COVID-19 and the Importance of Understanding Air Pressures Within Your Facility

Last Thursday, we launched our inaugural webinar in our new series entitled, “Facility Compliance Think Tank.” It was a huge success!

Why Do Emergency Management Reviews?

Past surveys regarding emergency management have been deemed just another hurdle to overcome to meet regulatory needs. The standards were merely seen as a checkbox to fill.

How Essential Are Emergency Management Reviews?

Until recently, emergency management had become a quick session during an accreditation survey. The session evaluated standards and ensured you met them.

What Hospitals Need Most Right Now

Over the past few months, I have listened to many stories of concerns from hospital staff and facility directors. I will be the first to say, I was surprised by some of their comments.

The Role of an Engineering Team in Infection Control

Engineering and Infection Control have, at times, been seen as separate entities functioning independently of each other (except for a construction project). This was especially true in the past, but current trends show these two areas are essential in supporting each other daily.

The Future of Infection Control

Infection control has always been a focal point in hospitals because of the important role it plays with inpatient care. Since the onset of the coronavirus, infection control has been a staple in minimizing additional exposures within the healthcare field.

Working with Vendors to Ensure Documentation Compliance

Documentation over the past few years has become more of a focus during accreditation surveys. This is partially due to the many different versions of the NFPA that are being utilized today.

How Efficient Are Your Rounds?

In today’s healthcare facilities, rounding has become not only an essential job duty, but at times, has also turned into a disparaging word. Typically it takes a lot of time during the workday to complete.

The Non-Clinical Digital Healthcare Revolution

With the Covid-19 outbreak, we have been shaken awake to the limitations of being mostly analog within the healthcare system. The abrupt digital changes made it very evident certain business sectors were not ready for the quick adjustment due to reliance on daily interactions with people.

Top 5 Ways CMS Standards Will Change

The second wave of COVID-19 is inevitably upon us again. Earlier this year, there were many different theories stating the original response would be adequate.

COVID Dentistry Challenges

With the COVID outbreak, we hear about hospitals non-stop. But what about dentist offices? Dentists and orthodontists are just as susceptible to coronavirus with patients and staff in close proximity to each other.

Quick Tips For Your Next Joint Commission Survey

Survey time is always a period of anxiety for facility directors no matter how prepared they think they are. New regulations or what accrediting agencies focus on during the survey process are always areas of concern for directors.

Importance of Environment of Care Tours

In today’s world, hospitals require every department to be more productive within their work environment while utilizing fewer resources.

Understanding the CMS 1135 Waiver

While surveying, I came across many different facility directors or emergency managers that were confused about the CMS 1135 waiver or felt it was specifically for clinical staff.

Having A Different Set of Eyes: Why A Mock Survey Helps

In healthcare, facility directors are constantly barraged with multiple meetings and requests above and beyond their already assigned job duties.

Checking Out to Check-In with Yourself

Stressed? Everyone is under more stress in light of recent events between job furloughs, homeschooling, and quarantine itself.

How to Prepare for Your Accreditation Survey Among COVID-19

Normal operations in hospitals have come to a screeching halt since the pandemic made it's way to the United States. Luckily for healthcare facilities managers, CMS has also changed how it's handling accreditation surveys.

A 2nd Wave of COVID-19?

As preparations are being made by local and state governments to start phasing back into our normal lives, there is one thing we keep hearing and thinking...

Emergency Management: What Preparations to Put in Place for the Next Epidemic?

With the arrival of COVID-19, some concerns have been made evident regarding emergency preparedness in the hospital setting. One of the most apparent nationwide was the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) available to staff in the healthcare field.

Digital Rounding and Infection Control in the Wake of COVID-19

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) has left hospitals in need of help in many areas, evaluating & preparing for the next wave or a future pandemic is a top priority for resuming normal operations as soon as possible.

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