Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Architect Receives New Cardiac Center Commission

For Immediate Release (02/07/10)

Bernstein & Associates, Architects is pleased to announce that it has been selected to plan and design a new cardiac center --- for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, ablations and other cardiovascular interventions --- within a prominent hospital in New York.

The project includes cardiology planning and cardiology design of multiple Electrophysiology (EP) Labs, including the incorporation of Stereotaxis equipment, which allows for remote magnetic navigation. The arrhythmia center design includes a cardiology procedure wing, cardiology prep/recovery wing, cardiology reception/waiting, cardiology office wing, and cardiology education wing.

The planning of the cardiology procedure wing allows for: four Electrophysiology (EP) Labs, including the remote navigation equipment by Stereotaxis as indicated, as well as typical patient and staff support. The planning required for this cardiac equipment required coordination amongst numerous parties.

The design of the cardiology prep/recovery wing allows for the proper ratio of prep/recovery beds to procedure rooms, as well as nursing station, nourishment station, clean utility, soiled utility, and other typical support spaces.

The design of the arrhythmia center waiting/reception includes a reception area, waiting for arrhythmia patients and their families, arrhythmia patient education center, pantry and consulting.

This state-of-the-art arrhythmia center has been featured on the cardiology business website www.cardiologybusiness.com), as well as the Hospital Newspaper. It promises to be a leading example of arrhythmia center planning and design when complete.

About Bernstein & Associates, Architects:

Founded in 1990, this healthcare architecture firm specializes in healthcare architecture, with a number of sub-specialties including cardiology planning and cardiology design. The firm is run by William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA, a well-known healthcare and cardiology architect. The firm is highly experienced with state-of-the-art healthcare design. Amongst the firm’s specialty cardiology consulting services are: design of arrhythmia center master plans, design of hospital arrhythmia center departments, design of outpatient arrhythmia center facilities, and design of arrhythmia center room design including remote navigation system equipment by Stereotaxis.

For further Information about planning and design of an arrhythmia center, cardiology department, and/or cardiology clinics, contact Bernstein & Associates, Architects:

Bernstein & Associates, Architects
59 West 19th Street - 6A
New York, NY 10011
T: 212.463.8200
F: 212.463.9898
E: info@bernarch.com
W: www.bernarch.com

Saturday, February 6, 2010

New Radiology Design Article Published

For Immediate Release (11/15/09)

Bernstein & Associates, Architects is pleased to announce the publication of a new radiology design article focused on universal room design. The article was published in Hospital Newspaper.

Highlights of this radiology planning article :

Differing requirements for detailed medical equipment specifications by architect and client, especially in terms of schedule of medical equipment purchase
- Healthcare clients need flexibility in the timing of their medical equipment purchase
- Impact on design and construction process of changes to medical equipment specs
- Some equipment spec changes impact project more than others
- In general, the later the change in spec, the greater the potential impact
- Medical equipment changes during a construction project: small and early is good, big and late is bad.
- Option for mitigating impact of equipment changes on a healthcare construction project
- “Universal Room” concept for minimizing impact of changes to medical equipment
- Methodology for Universal Room design process
- Pluses and minuses of the “Universal Room” concept
- Types of room design that could benefit from this unique approach to medical equipment planning: ct room design, radiology room design, mri design, mammography design
linear accelerator design, mri room design, nuclear medicine design, cat scan design
mammography room design, linear accelerator room design

The above article was written by radiology architect William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA, of the well-known healthcare design and hospital design firm of Bernstein & Associates, Architects. The firm’s principle, Mr. Bernstein, is a well-known architect and radiology consultant in radiology department planning and design. Mr. Bernstein is a graduate of the Yale University School of Architecture, who has specialized in healthcare design and construction for over 30 years.

About Bernstein & Associates, Architects: Founded in 1990, this company is an award-winning architectural firm and specializing in the design and planning of radiology departments. The firm takes pride in providing the highest level of healthcare and hospital design work, with additional expertise in sustainable healthcare facilities, energy saving measures for hospitals, cost reduction strategies for hospitals, hospital safety and patient safety.

For more information about radiology department planning, design and construction, please contact:
William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA
Principal - Bernstein & Associates, Architects - PLLC
59 West 19th Street - 6A New York, NY 10011
Office: 212.463.8200 - Fax: 212.463.9898
Email: info@bernarch.comwww.bernarch.com

Friday, January 1, 2010

Pharmacy Design Architect Featured in List of USP 797 Consultants

Bernstein & Associates, Architects, a nationally known healthcare design and hospital design architect, is pleased to announce that the firm has been featured for their usp 797 design expertise, in a list of usp 797 consultants in the November 2009 issue of Pharmacy Purchasing & Products.

Bernstein & Associates, Architects is well-known for pharmacy plans, pharmacy designs, pharmacy interior design, and pharmacy architecture, including a sub-specialty in pharmacy 797 projects. This pharmacy design group has designed over twenty new usp 797 compliant pharmacies, pharmacy renovations, and pharmacy relocations in the past five years. The firm is featured on the pharmacy design website, www.pharmacydesign.org, and the usp 797 website, www.usp797.org. The firm's principal architect --- William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA --- is a well known pharmacy planner. He has written extensively on pharmacy design and pharmacy construction including usp 797 compliant pharmacies. Mr. Bernstein's pharmacy design articles can be found on www.pharmacydesign.org, and his usp 797 articles can be found on the usp 797 website www.usp797.org.

About Bernstein & Associates, Architects:

Bernstein & Associates, Architects has specialized in the following areas since the firm’s founding in 1990: healthcare design, hospital design, medical design, medical office design, healthcare architects, hospital architecture, health care design, healthcare architecture, hospital buildings, and healthcare interior design. Amongst the firm’s healthcare design specialties is
. This architecture firm is well-known for the planning, design and construction of pharmacies, including usp 797 compliant pharmacy design and construction. The firm's principal --- William N. Bernstein, AIA --- is a well known pharmacy architect who has written extensively on pharmacy design and construction including usp 797 compliant pharmacies. Mr. Bernstein's usp 797 articles can be found on the usp 797 website http://www.usp797.org/.

For more information about healthcare architecture and healthcare interior design, hospital, including pharmacy layout design and pharmacy architecture, contact Bernstein & Associates, Architects at:

Bernstein & Associates, Architects
59 West 19th Street - 6A, New York, NY 10011
Tel: 212.463.8200
Fax: 212.463.9898
email: info@bernarch.com
www.bernarch.com

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Bernstein & Associates Featured on Therapeutic Environment Website

Well known healthcare design firm Bernstein & Associates, Architects has been featured on the therapeutic website found at www.therapeuticenvironment.com.

The Therapeutic Environment website which can be found at www.therapeuticenvironment.com has been launched as a tool for the healthcare industry.

Those consumers and administrators interested in the Therapeutic Environment will find this site very useful.

Therapeutic Environment offers consumers, facility managers purchasing agents, and business owners a comprehensive directory for all products and services needed to design build and equip healthcare and laboratory facilities.

What you fill find on Therapeutic Environment:- Therapeutic Environment Design Services for the Early Planning and Design Phases - Therapeutic Environment Construction Services for the Construction Build-Out - Therapeutic Environment Project Management Services to Manage the Design and Construction Process - Therapeutic Environment Building Products - Therapeutic Environment Equipment - Therapeutic Environment Furniture - Therapeutic Environment Software

For more information about the therapeutic environment, visit www.therapeuticenvironment.com .

For more information about hospital design and medical office design, visit Bernstein & Associates, Architects at www.bernarch.com.

Monday, October 19, 2009

New Article on USP 797 Compliance Published

Bernstein & Associates, Architects is pleased to announce the publication of a new article about USP 797 compliance. The article was published on USP 797 (www.usp797.org), the website focused on design, construction and operation of USP 797 compliant pharmacies.

The article discusses the following:

- An interesting survey of USP 797 compliance in the United States in 2009 was recently published in Pharmacy Purchasing & Products magazine (www.pppmag.com).
- The survey looks at various areas of USP 797 compliance.
- It begins with results of the most basic question: how many directors of pharmacy have read the USP 97 regulation
- Partial or full pharmacy compliance with USP 797 has also grown
- Full compliance with USP 797 is measured differently
- The approach of regulatory bodies towards USP 797
- State boards of pharmacy and USP 797 compliance
- JCAHO and USP 797 compliance
- Hospitals reporting a patient incident involving a compounding error during the past five years
- Continuing improvement in USP 797 compliance in pharmacies in the United States, as well as increased focus on USP 797 compliance by state pharmacy boards and JCAHO.

About the Author:

William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA is the principal of Bernstein & Associates, Architects (www.bernarch.com) and president of Equipment Planning, Inc. (www.equipmentplanning.org). This architecture firm and equipment planning firm are well-known for pharmacy planning, pharmacy design and pharmacy architecture, including a sub-specialty in usp 797 compliant pharmacy design and construction. These pharmacy consulting firms have designed and equipment planned over twenty new pharmacies, pharmacy renovations, and pharmacy relocations in the past five years. The firm's principal --- William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA --- is a well known pharmacy architect and pharmacy equipment planner. He has written extensively on pharmacy design and pharmacy construction including usp 797 compliant pharmacies. Mr. Bernstein's pharmacy design articles can be found on www.pharmacydesign.org, and his usp 797 articles can be found on the usp 797 website www.usp797.org.

For more information about pharmacy planning, pharmacy design and pharmacy construction, contact Bernstein & Associates, Architects at:

Bernstein & Associates, Architects - PLLC
59 West 19th Street - 6A, NY, NY 10011
T: 212.463.8200
F: 212.463.9898
E: info@bernarch.com
www.bernarch.com

For more information about pharmacy equipment planning, and pharmacy automation equipment specifications and planning, contact Equipment Planning, Inc. at:

Equipment Planning, Inc.
59 West 19th Street - 6A, NY, NY 10011
T: 212.463.08200
F: 212.463.9898
E: info@equipmentplanning.org
www.equipmentplanning.org

New Article Published on How Office Based Design Regulations Impact Medical Office Design

For Immediate Release (10/10/09)

Bernstein & Associates, Architects is pleased to announce the publication of a new article on medical office design, entitled “Impact of the New Office Based Surgery Regulations on Design of Medical Offices”. The article has been published in the November 2009 edition of Hospital Newspaper.

- Over the last 20 years, as the practice of office based surgery has increased, so have the regulations adapted by state health departments.
- The goal of these new office based surgery regulations
- Medical staff must now follow certain regulations when performing invasive or surgical procedures that use more than minimal sedation.
- a large part of these new guidelines pertains to the design, planning and construction of an office based surgery center
- Each state has its own rules and regulations governing medical procedures performed in the office: some, like Florida, spell out their own requirements, while others, including New York as of July 14, 2009, have medical offices turn to outside accreditation agencies.
- In New York, the three organizations selected by the government for accreditation are the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), and the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).
- Other states add Medicare Guidelines as an option for certification. While these various regulatory agencies agree on most of the criteria needed for office based surgery accreditation, they each emphasize different points and have different specific rules and environmental requirements, so it is important to understand the differences between the various regulations prior to selecting one for application on a particular project.
- Excerpts from guidelines provided
- AAAASF excerpts re Office Based Design
- AAAHC excerpts re: Office Based Design
- JCAHO excerpts re: Office Based Design
- Conclusion: important differences between the regulations of three main accreditation agencies --- AAAASF, AAAHC, and JCAHO --- in terms of the design of an accredited office based surgery facility. The individual regulations should be carefully studied to evaluate which if the three regulations is most appropriate for a particular practice and facility.
The article was written by the firm’s principle, a well-known expert in green healthcare design, William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA.

About Bernstein & Associates, Architects: Founded in 1990, this company is an award-winning healthcare architectural firm specializing in healthcare design, including medical office design, as well as how the new Office Based Surgery guidelines impact medical office design. The firm takes pride in providing the highest level of sustainable healthcare and hospital design work, with additional expertise, energy saving measures for hospitals, cost reduction strategies for hospitals, hospital safety and patient safety.

For more information about medical office design, as well as how the new Office Based Surgery guidelines impact medical office design, please contact:

William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA – Principal
Bernstein & Associates, Architects - PLLC
59 West 19th Street - 6A New York, NY 10011
Telephone: 212.463.8200
Fax: 212.463.9898
Email: info@bernarch.com
www.bernarch.com

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Architecture Firm Featured in RSNA News in Article on Radiology Planning and Design

For Immediate Release (10/15/09)

Architecture Firm Featured in RSNA News in Article on Radiology Planning and Design

Bernstein & Associates, Architects is pleased that the firm’s principle, radiology architect William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA, has been featured in the latest edition of RSNA News, a monthly publication by the Radiological Society of North America.

The article is entitled “Radiology Architects Forecast the Facility of the Future”, and has been published in the October 2009 edition of RSNA News. To view this article on radiology architects, go to: http://www.rsna.org/Publications/rsnanews/October-2009/RadiologyArchitects_feature.cfm.

Amongst the interesting points made in the article about planning and designing a radiology facility, whether a hospital radiology department or an outpatient imaging center, are the following:
- Radiology facilities of the future will look different from those of the present
- There is a need to look ahead, when planning a radiology facility.
- Amongst the factors driving change in radiology design: “changes in practice, technology, referrals and revenue streams”
- Convergence of surgical and medical imaging, both in full blown OR’s as well as in procedure rooms with less invasive procedures
- Trend towards additional control rooms and additional electronic equipment rooms in surgical suites
- The importance of working with radiology architects: "It is extremely important to work with a radiology architect and facilities management personnel when redesigning or building new spaces," said Dr. Horii, a professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia
- Importance of proper reading room design – affects diagnostic speed, accuracy and overall work performance. Focus on reading room ergonomics, as well as how radiologists work today.
- Other key issues for radiology design are good lighting, focus on workflow, and reduction of noise
- Location of radiology equipment , as well as turnover rate, are key factors in efficient utilization of radiology equipment
- Radiology planner William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA, is quoted extensively in the article, on subjects such as timing of radiology equipment selection in the design process, infrastructure support for radiology facilities, universal room design, flexibility in design process, consideration of equipment entry at the beginning of project as well as equipment replacement in the future, and the value that radiology architects bring to the process.

About Bernstein & Associates, Architects: Founded in 1990, this company is an award-winning architectural firm and specializing in the design and planning of radiology departments. The firm’s principle, Mr. Bernstein, is a well-known architect and radiology consultant in radiology department planning and design. Mr. Bernstein is a graduate of the Yale University School of Architecture, who has specialized in healthcare design and construction for over 30 years.
The firm takes pride in providing the highest level of healthcare and hospital design work, with additional expertise in sustainable healthcare facilities, energy saving measures for hospitals, cost reduction strategies for hospitals, hospital safety and patient safety.

For more information about radiology department planning, design and construction, please contact:

Bernstein & Associates, Architects
59 West 19th Street - 6A New York, NY 10011
Telephone: 212.463.8200
Fax: 212.463.9898
Email: info@bernarch.com