Mike Jacobs

Creating Dialysis Units in Senior Living Facilities

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced assisted living, skilled care and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) to redefine their daily operations and facilities alike to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread throughout their facilities both from internal and external risks. Residents living in these facilities who require renal dialysis can be a significant risk to themselves, … Read more

Optimizing Effectiveness of COVID-19 Temporary Isolation Rooms

The recent COVID-19 pandemic events have forced healthcare providers around the globe to find creative ways to isolate infected patients from other patients and healthcare providers, often relying on temporary modifications to their facilities heating, ventilation and air conditioning system to create negative pressure spaces. Often facility managers are forced to work within the confines … Read more

Calm Before the Storm – Is Your Hospital Prepared?

The severity of recent natural disasters across the nation, along with the Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers issued by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2016, has made emergency preparedness a point of emphasis for healthcare facility managers across the nation. On November 15, 2017, participating … Read more

Will your Pharmacy be USP 800 Ready?

The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) Chapter 800 related to handling of hazardous drugs in healthcare settings will officially take effect on December 1, 2019. Chapter 800 will supersede the current Chapter 797 requirements for compounding of hazardous drugs. Several of the requirements in Chapter 800 may prove challenging to meet for facilities with aging mechanical infrastructures. … Read more

Evaluating MEP Infrastructure for Retail Clinic Retrofit Projects

Fueled by the adoption of the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare industry is undergoing a shift from inpatient to an outpatient based model of care.  The emergence of “retail healthcare” facilities across the country is evidence of this shift in patient care delivery.  This shift, along with growing competition in the market place, has created … Read more

Is Your HVAC System Ready for Your Next Joint Commission Survey?

The Joint Commission is increasingly placing emphasis that hospital facilities meet the requirements of The Joint Commission Standard EC.02.05.01, specifically the control of airborne contaminants through proper air pressurization of critical spaces. The Joint Commission reports that 47% of all hospitals in 2013 and 53% of all hospitals in 2014 have received non-compliance scores for … Read more