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 USP 797 Design see, http://bernarch.com/healthcare-design-usp-797-compliant-pharmacy-design-and-consulting/

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

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”.

- 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 Office Based Surgery Design see, http://bernarch.com/healthcare-design-office-based-surgery/

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 Radiology Design see, http://bernarch.com/healthcare-design-radiology/

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