2016 Joint Commission Update Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. In the first six months of 2016, seven of the top ten most cited deficiencies cited by The Joint Commission (TJC) were in the areas of Environment of Care and Life Safety. Discover what these deficiencies are and how your organization can bring itself into compliance with the standards. This presentation will also discuss recent changes to The Joint Commission survey process and how facilities need to respond to those changes.

I don’t have to build it, I need to maintain it: How to determine potential areas of non-compliance with existing fire life safety systems under the Life Safety Code, 2012 edition. Friday, August 26, 2016, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The healthcare industry has experienced an unprecedented amount of attention from concerning fire and life safety issues. In May of 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the adoption for NFPA 101, The Life Safety Code, 2012 edition effective July of 2016; moving from the 2000 edition of the code.

CMS 2012 Code Adoption Monday, August 29, 2016 Oklahoma City OAHE presents a one-day Summer training meeting with George Mills from The Joint Commission and Dale Woodin from ASHE. CEUs will be available for this event. You don't want to miss this! Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

September 15, 2016 Elm Fork Shooting Sports, Dallas The TAHFM Wack 'Em and Stack 'Em Sporting Clays Tournament allows us to support our mission to assist our membership in professional development through support, education and collaboration. All proceeds raised at this year's shoot will support our educational and technical assistance mission to assist our membership in affordable professional development. Proceeds from this tournament will provide facility manager scholarships to our Interlink 2017 educational conference.

Mark Fratto, Communications Chair, TAHFM TAHFM Board Members representing each region in Texas met in Austin last month to review TAHFM’s performance and to plan an even more successful year for 2016 / 2017.

TAHFM The purpose of the Rufus J. Cleghorn, Jr. Memorial Scholarship is to promote and encourage the higher education of facilities management personnel. Consistent with TAHFM's mission to assist our membership in professional development through support, education and collaboration, the fund was established to provide scholarship opportunities for TAHFM members and non-members to continue or further their education. Toward this goal, TAHFM established the scholarship fund through which it provides scholarship opportunities for those interested in the facilities management field.

Hospitals use advanced tools to measure and improve energy performance Jaime Morgan, Health Facilities Management Although hospitals require large amounts of energy to function properly — 24-hour operation, powering large equipment, etc., — many of them are still committed to finding ways to reduce energy use without forsaking quality of care. Hospitals that excel in this area say that it all begins with benchmarking.

ENERGY STAR News The results of the first state-versus-state energy competition are in! During the 2015 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Awards ceremony in April, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy revealed that in a head-to-head battle between hospitals, Texas beat Ohio with the highest average energy savings per hospital.

Noe Del Bosque, Midland Reporter-Telegram, TAHFM Region 2 Director Midland Memorial Hospital recently received the Energy Star Award, which recognizes leadership in reducing energy consumption.

American Society for Healthcare Engineering The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making a correction to its earlier rule, which was published in May and outlined new Conditions of Participation that adopted the 2012 editions of NFPA 101 and NFPA 99. The correction, which was published in the Federal Register on June 30, states that Part 482.41 of the Conditions of Participation is being changed so that all (new and existing) hospital based outpatient surgical departments must meet provisions of NFPA 101 applicable to Ambulatory Health Care Occupancies, regardless of the number of patients served.

TAHFM The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has asked the Joint Commission to make several changes to its Statement of Conditions process, and the Joint Commission will no longer consider hospital Plans for Improvement (PFIs) starting August 1.

Register today for the Life Safety Webinar Series webinars covering the NFPA 101 and 2012 Edition of the NFPA 99, or review past webinars and on-demand learning on construction, compliance, leadership, and more.

Jeff Ferenc, Health Facilities Management Lessons learned from a study of how acoustics impact patient satisfaction has proven invaluable to St. Elizabeth Hospital, Appleton, Wis., as it continues its multiphase campus reconstruction.

Jaime Morgan, Health Facilities Management The Joint Commission will no longer consider hospital Plans for Improvement (PFIs) for its Life Safety chapter requirements starting August 1. Instead, all life safety deficiencies will need to be corrected within 60 days, although a time-limited waiver process will be available through Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regional offices.

Stormy Friday, FacilitiesNet.com Open the pages of almost any business magazine or scan the agenda for any industry conference, and you’ll likely find something about leadership.