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
| Jan 21, 2011
Combination credit union and USO center earns LEED Silver
After the Army announced plans to expand Fort Bliss, in Texas, by up to 30,000 troops, FirstLight Federal Credit Union contracted NewGround (as CM) to build a new 16,000-sf facility, allocating 6,000 sf for a USO center with an Internet café, gaming stations, and theater.
| Jan 21, 2011
Manufacturing plant transformed into LEED Platinum Clif Bar headquarters
Clif Bar & Co.’s new 115,000-sf headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., is one of the first buildings in the state to meet the 2008 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The structure has the largest smart solar array in North America, which will provide nearly all of its electrical energy needs.
| Jan 21, 2011
Harlem facility combines social services with retail, office space
Harlem is one of the first neighborhoods in New York City to combine retail with assisted living. The six-story, 50,000-sf building provides assisted living for residents with disabilities and a nonprofit group offering services to minority groups, plus retail and office space.
| Jan 21, 2011
Revamped hotel-turned-condominium building holds on to historic style
The historic 89,000-sf Hotel Stowell in Los Angeles was reincarnated as the El Dorado, a 65-unit loft condominium building with retail and restaurant space. Rockefeller Partners Architects, El Segundo, Calif., aimed to preserve the building’s Gothic-Art Nouveau combination style while updating it for modern living.
| Jan 21, 2011
Library planned for modern media enthusiasts
The England Run Library, a new 30,000-sf glass, brick, and stone building, will soon house more than 100,000 books and DVDs. The Lukmire Partnership, Arlington, Va., designed the Stafford County, Va., library, the firm’s fourth for the Central Rappahannock Library System, to combine modern library-browsing trends with traditional library services.
| Jan 21, 2011
Virginia community college completes LEED Silver science building
The new 60,000-sf science building at John Tyler Community College in Midlothian, Va., just earned LEED Silver, the first facility in the Commonwealth’s community college system to earn this recognition. The facility, designed by Burt Hill with Gilbane Building Co. as construction manager, houses an entire floor of laboratory classrooms, plus a new library, student lounge, and bookstore.
| Jan 21, 2011
Upscale apartments offer residents a twist on modern history
The Goodwynn at Town: Brookhaven, a 433,300-sf residential and retail building in DeKalb County, Ga., combines a historic look with modern amenities. Atlanta-based project architect Niles Bolton Associates used contemporary materials in historic patterns and colors on the exterior, while concealing a six-level parking structure on the interior.
| Jan 21, 2011
Research center built for interdisciplinary cooperation
The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, in Houston, the first basic research institute for childhood neurological diseases, is a 13-story twisting tower in the center of the hospital campus.
| Jan 21, 2011
Music festival’s new home showcases scenic setting
Epstein Joslin Architects, Cambridge, Mass., designed the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Mass., to showcase the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, as well at the site’s ocean views.
| Jan 20, 2011
Houston Dynamo soccer team plans new venue
Construction is scheduled to begin this month on a new 22,000-seat Major League Soccer stadium for the Houston Dynamo. The $60 million project is expected to be ready for the 2012 MLS season.
