Medical Gas Compliance Blog

The Joint Commission have stringent requirements in place to keep your patients, employees and visitors safe. One of those requirements and concerns as a healthcare facility manager is the ventilation in your care areas. HVAC systems are built to keep the indoor air quality (IAQ) safe for patients. Because of the airflow standards, equipment must meet high ventilation rates and filtration requirements.

Richard D. Hermans, PE, HFDP, Director of Training and Advanced Applications for Daikin Applied, cites certain aspects of ventilation have become commonly accepted practice for infection control.

Medical gas systems are a standard feature of most healthcare facilities, and they require special monitoring and maintenance to ensure they are operating properly. Unlike other medical equipment and systems, their use of gas under pressure makes them vulnerable to a unique set of unexpected failures, which may not be readily apparent. This makes medical gas preventative maintenance critical to a problem-free working environment.

At CHT we understand you want your medical gas systems to be compliant and pass inspection, and most of all, increase safety for your patients. We understand it's crucial to keep your medical gas systems running smoothly so you have no unexpected failures, and you have the proper equipment to do your job competently and worry-free.

We are concentrated on making sure your hospital and your patients are getting all they need from your medical gas equipment. We put together a preventative checklist to help prepare you for an upcoming inspection and to alleviate your concerns and frustrations.

Medical gas equipment can be complex and varied in nature. And difficulty in accurately interpreting NFPA codes can add to the complexity. Flexible connectors are a good example.

They can reference the metallic connectors on central supply sources to mitigate machine vibration. Flexible connectors can also refer to non-metallic hoses that interconnect secondary and clinical equipment to wall inlets and outlets. They may be present in headwalls, manufactured assemblies, or simple drops from ceiling inlets and outlets. These types of hoses can be constructed of different materials, but all should be periodically inspected by the hospital staff to ensure they are not kinked or damaged. Of particular concern are hoses in surgical areas, as they can get bent, stepped on, and pinched by equipment.

In this article, we focus on the flexible connectors that are internal to articulating booms and pendants typically found in OR's, ICU's, ED’s and procedure rooms. The booms are designed for the unique needs of these areas and help eliminate the cords and cables which were once on the floor. Thereby making it easier to maneuver around a patient and equipment. They create an orderly working environment, increase efficiency, and contribute to an overall cleaner environment.

Medical gas supply systems in healthcare facilities provide piped gases such as oxygen, nitrous oxide, and medical air to your facility as needed. These are critical gases to maintain your patients' lives.  

These systems are also monitored with alarms that activate when there is a pressure change or other type of issue that requires attention. The alarms warn of a lack of supply, overall system operation and condition of the medical gases being delivered. The master alarms are the most comprehensive of alarm panels, and are often monitored by individuals not properly trained on the panel's function.

This article will examine the three types of alarms in healthcare facilities, master alarm panel location, first response actions, annual inspections, troubleshooting tips, false alarm situations and how to prevent them, and more.

CHT representatives just returned from another exciting year of ASHE’s Annual Conference & Technical Exhibition, with the 56th edition wrapping up last week at the Baltimore Convention Center. As is customary, this year’s conference brought together a wide range of speakers and ideas. And true to this year’s theme, Mapping the Course, the conference highlighted strategies for healthcare engineers to address the changing demands of providing quality healthcare.

Proper medical gas management will keep your healthcare facility safe. Meeting the qualification requirements of NFPA 99 - Healthcare Facilities Code is a continuous process.

The NFPA 99 HealthCare Facilities Code defines a Qualified Person as “A person who, by the possession of a recognized degree, certificate, professional standing, or skill, and who, by knowledge, training, and experience, has demonstrated the ability to perform the work.”  NFPA 99 2018, 3.3.151

As a leader in the control, management, and monitoring of medical gas systems,  we are dedicated to staying on top of the qualifications needed in the maintenance of medical gas. In this article, we discuss NFPA 99 2018 as it pertains specifically to Chapter 5, which covers the performance, maintenance, installation, and testing of medical gas systems.

NFPA 99 Healthcare Facilities code provides performance criteria for healthcare facilities that follow a risk-based approach, where it is the risk posed to patients, staff or visitors, that defines safety guidelines. The main criteria of the Code's scope is to keep healthcare facilities up-to-code with its occupants safe.

As a leader in the control, management, and monitoring of medical gas systems, CHT is asked frequently, in regards to NFPA 99 Healthcare Facilities Code,

"What Applies to My Facility"? 

2019 is already flying by and we need to stay in touch with the latest regulations and technology to serve our hospitals and patients. That means attending some of the nation’s best recognized health care conferences and expos.

Healthcare providers have the responsibility to ensure medical gas and vacuum systems provide a safe and effective setup with a sufficient flow of gas or vacuum. The medical-surgical vacuum system consists of the vacuum central supply source system, the pipeline distribution network, and station inlets. 

According to the ASHE 2018 Hospital Security Survey, maintaining security has become 82% more challenging over the past two years. Because of that, 61% of hospitals plan on increasing hospital security budgets, and 91% of hospitals plan to implement aggressive behavior training.  

In this article, we discuss how to protect healthcare facilities by recognizing where the problems and potential issues exist. Implementing new security solutions can increase a facility's efficiency, improve performance and, most importantly, reduce violent behavior.

Let's take a look at some of the top security challenges plaguing healthcare facilities.