In response to changes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Life Safety Code, CannonDesign has launched REALIZE Life Safety Solutions — a suite of services and software solutions focused on helping healthcare facilities teams assess their compliance with life safety code standards related to CFR 482.41 — Condition of participation: Physical environment — without operational disruptions.
Named the No. 4 facility management provider within an A/E firm by the “World Architecture 100,” CannonDesign created REALIZE Life Safety Solutions to help clients navigate through CMS’s most recent Final Rule, which adopted the National Fire Protection Association’s 2012 edition of the Life Safety Code (NFPA 101), as well as provisions of the NFPA’s 2012 edition of the Health Care Facilities Code (NFPA 99). All health facilities that participate in Medicare and/or Medicaid must comply with these code changes.
“The Final Rule presents a considerable update to the life safety directives most healthcare systems have become accustomed to,” says Joe Cassata, principal at CannonDesign. “The last time a change in the Life Safety Code was made was in 2003 when CMS adopted the 2000 edition. Sorting through the new changes and understanding how they apply to individual facilities is a daunting task, which is why we’re launching this offering.”
With experience assessing more than 200 million SF of space, life safety is not a new service area for CannonDesign. However, REALIZE Life Safety Solutions packages the firm’s life safety services into an easily customizable offering focused on three primary areas:
- Life Safety Current State: Life safety drawings review, field verification, and key findings report of current Life Safety for owned or leased facilities.
- Code Review: Review and report of physical conditions based on 2012 Life Safety Codes.
- Corrective Action Plan: Corrective action report containing prioritized deficiencies, cost estimates and recommendations for remediation.
“Most health systems have received a life safety deficiency,” adds Cassata. “Sometimes the deficiencies are minor and easily fixed, while other times they require significant facility modifications to prevent steep fines, possible terminated Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements, and even possible closure. Regardless of the scenario, we have the knowledge and expertise needed to get our clients to a place where can have absolute confidence in their Life Safety Code compliance.”
Related Stories
| Dec 9, 2011
BEST AEC FIRMS 2011: EYP Architecture & Engineering
Expertise-Driven Design: At EYP Architecture & Engineering, growing the business goes hand in hand with growing the firm’s people.
| Dec 5, 2011
Summit Design+Build begins renovation of Chicago’s Esquire Theatre
The 33,000 square foot building will undergo an extensive structural remodel and core & shell build-out changing the building’s use from a movie theater to a high-end retail center.
| Dec 2, 2011
What are you waiting for? BD+C's 2012 40 Under 40 nominations are due Friday, Jan. 20
Nominate a colleague, peer, or even yourself. Applications available here.
| Dec 1, 2011
VLK Architects’ office receives LEED certification
The West 7th development, which houses the firm’s office, was designed to be LEED for Core & Shell, which gave VLK the head start on finishing out the area for LEED Silver Certification CI.
| Nov 16, 2011
CRSI recommends return to inch-pound markings
The intention of this resolution is for all new rollings of reinforcing steel products to be marked with inch-pound bar markings no later than January 1st, 2014.
| Nov 11, 2011
Streamline Design-build with BIM
How construction manager Barton Malow utilized BIM and design-build to deliver a quick turnaround for Georgia Tech’s new practice facility.
| Nov 2, 2011
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. breaks ground on Alexandria Center in Cambridge, Mass.
307,000-sf building to be house to executive offices of Biogen Idec.
| Oct 25, 2011
Commitment to green building practices pays off
The study, conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, built on a good indication of the potential for increased productivity and performance pilot research completed two years ago, with similarly impressive results.
| Oct 24, 2011
FMI releases Adjust, Adapt, Act Study
The paper explores several case studies, including Sun Country Builders, Huen, BakerTriangle, Consigli, Skender Construction and Flatiron, and distills the key factors that make these companies unique and successful.
| Oct 20, 2011
UNT receives nation’s first LEED Platinum designation for collegiate stadium
Apogee Stadium will achieve another first in December with the completion of three wind turbines that will feed the electrical grid that powers the stadium.