As healthcare managers, we understand that your many roles and responsibilities revolve around one fundamental goal: patient safety. 

Whether it be ensuring compliance, managing costs, or implementing new or maintaining existing medical equipment, all of these responsibilities are there to increase patient safety.

At CHT, our goal is to help you reach your goals. We understand that the medical gas system landscape is constantly changing, so we have compiled a list of the largest medical gas trends in 2023 to help keep you informed and keep your patients and staff safe.

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Medical gas systems have seen significant advancements and trends in recent years to improve efficiency, safety, and compliance with regulations. Notable trends in medical gas systems involve: 

1. Technology integration
2. Prioritizing safety and regulation
3. Rising demand for medical oxygen
4. A more significant focus on communication
5. Modular and scalable systems

By understanding where medical gas systems are headed, you can be better equipped to make more informed decisions for your facility, creating a more safety-centric environment for your patients and staff.

Technology Integration

One of the most significant trends in medical gas systems is the advancement of technology. 

This includes sensors, IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity, and data analytics. Systems can monitor gas levels, pressure, and flow rates in real-time, alerting healthcare providers to any issues or potential shortages. This proactive approach enhances patient safety and reduces downtime.

MEDGAS FLOW 

With the pandemic creating a high demand for oxygen and putting higher stress on existing oxygen delivery systems, strategic management of supplies became a top priority. This persists today, as facilities better understand how surges in medical gas demand can be detrimental to their ability to provide care. 

MEDGAS FLOW by NOVAIR Medical was designed to give healthcare managers a clear overview of the medical gas consumption of their entire facility. When placed at the start of each secondary medical gas network, it provides an overview of the gas consumption of that area or service. 

With its low maintenance requirements, MEDGAS FLOW provides additional benefits, including leak detection and reporting.

Additionally, MEDGAS FLOW provides in-depth medical gas records, allowing for analytical accounting of gas usage in your facility.  [source]

Vitaleyez™

As healthcare managers, you must use real-time data for informed decisions. Having access to the complete history of every asset in your medical gas infrastructure makes it easy to prioritize repairs and maintenance, keeping you compliant and extending the lifespan of your equipment.

Vitaleyez™ by CHT is a cutting-edge software solution that offers real-time accessibility to critical information about medical gas systems. This software provides healthcare facility administrators, engineers, and maintenance staff with a powerful tool to streamline operations, enhance safety, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. 

Key Features of Vitaleyez™:

• Easy access to inspection and testing data
• Interactive user interface that makes understanding the condition of your system easy
• Operating and maintenance manuals for each asset. 
  

With the intent to simplify the complexity of managing and maintaining medical gas systems, Vitaleyez™ provides a single location for all system-related documentation. 

Prioritizing Safety and Regulation

Change and updates to safety regulations are inevitable. 

Organizations that develop standards and regulations consistently update or implement codes to create safer environments for staff and patients. 

The NFPA 99 Health Care Facilities Code provides comprehensive guidelines and standards for maintaining the safety of healthcare facilities, encompassing areas such as electrical systems, gas and vacuum systems, fire safety, and medical equipment.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and The Joint Commission (TJC) refer to the NFPA when setting their healthcare facility certification and accreditation standards. While both organizations overlap on requirements for medical gas systems regulation, there are some specific differences between them. 

CMS, TJC, and NFPA standards are constantly changing. 

The NFPA-99 is updated every 3 years. With the last change being in 2021, expect a new version to come out next year. 

How can healthcare facility managers stay up-to-date and compliant with constantly updated standards?

By partnering with the right Medical Gas Systems partner. 

Staying up-to-date and compliant with healthcare standards is an ongoing process that requires commitment, vigilance, and a proactive approach. When choosing a new or evaluating an existing medical gas system company, be sure that they have:

• ASSE certified technicians
• Established processes for inspection, testing, and maintenance
• The ability to install new equipment
• Training programs to certify your team.

To learn more about how CHT can help your facility with CMS and TJC compliance, click here to talk with a medical gas expert. 

Rising Demand for Medical Oxygen

As the rate of chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and COPD, continues to grow, the demand for the medical-grade oxygen used for treatment continues to rise as well. 

Market research shows that the US Medical Gas market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1% from 2022 to 2030. [source]

While chronic respiratory diseases are a key contributor to the increase in medical gas demand, there are other factors to consider. Growth is also contributed to the growing geriatric population and the increased rate of home healthcare. 

Middle and Low-income countries have experienced the detriments of being unable to meet the rising demand for medical oxygen. UNICEF has been working with countries to address the growing demand since 2017 by developing an inter-agency guidance manual for procuring oxygen devices and launching the Oxygen System Planning Tool, which helps countries map out oxygen equipment needs. [source]

UNICEF has also worked towards addressing needs through innovation. The Oxygen Plant-in-a-Box is a notable example of innovation. As explained by UNICEF, the Oxygen Plant-in-a-Box is:

A fully functional Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) oxygen plant, the package includes everything needed to produce large volumes of medical grade oxygen, including accessories supplied in the right quantities, installation of equipment, pre-planned maintenance services, and staff training. Easily procured and rapidly deployed, plants can be operational within days of arriving at a facility.

Technological and strategic advancements are sure to make an impact on how healthcare facilities address the rising demand for medical oxygen.  

A More Significant Focus on Communication

Healthcare facilities have made great strides toward creating a more connected healthcare system. 

Healthcare regulations and standards regarding the use of medical gas systems are becoming increasingly stringent. Facility management is required to be able to communicate with inspectors about both the current state of medical gas systems and their inspection and maintenance history. 

The Responsible Facility Authority (RFA) has been responsible for managing all documentation from verifiers and inspectors since NFPA 99 - 2012, with the role becoming more defined in recent years. 

Long past are the days of sorting through binders of paper documents. TJC and CMS inspectors expect your RFA to be able to procure the correct documents on request.

Luckily, software like Vitaleyez™ automates medical gas compliance while delivering critical decision-making data, allowing you to effectively communicate with inspectors and decision-makers about the state of your facility and equipment. 

Communication also leads to increased patient safety. Healthcare professionals must communicate effectively to ensure that the right gas is delivered at the correct flow rate and concentration, minimizing the risk of adverse events. 

Modular and Scalable Systems

Recent surges in demand have placed pressure on medical gas systems and supplies. 

Healthcare managers, administrators, providers, and supporting staff saw how having modular and scalable systems allowed them to adapt to these demands.

Healthcare architects and engineers have also noticed the benefits of flexible healthcare systems. 

Researchers, breaking down flexibility in healthcare design even further, have identified three key aspects. These aspects and how you can use them to identify areas for improvement are as follows:

1. Adaptability: Evaluate your healthcare facility's ability to accommodate increases in different treatment modalities without changing the surrounding environment.
2. Convertibility: Look into your facility's ability to create temporary isolation rooms. Does the potential location of temporary rooms allow healthcare workers to provide care effectively? Are there better areas for future temporary rooms that may reduce staff travel time to supplies or the risks of contamination with surrounding, possibly high-risk populations?
3. Expandability: Can your facility's medical gas systems expand to meet potential surges? Assessing your medical gas system can reveal cost-effective ways to make your system more cost-efficient. 

Future healthcare facilities are being designed to maximize the building's ability to meet these aspects of flexibility. 

However, flexibility can still be optimized in existing facilities. Assessing your medical gas system can shine a light on where your systems struggled and why. Performing extensive system evaluations and working with an experienced medical gas system team can allow you to make better decisions moving forward and, as a result, produce better patient outcomes. 

Conclusion

Staying up-to-date and compliant with healthcare standards is an ongoing process that requires commitment, vigilance, and a proactive approach. 

By staying informed about changes in regulations, healthcare facility managers can help ensure their facilities' safety, quality, and legal compliance.

Working with a team of medical gas system experts is also a great way to stay aware and ahead of the trends. 

CHT's certified technicians conduct medical gas inspections and testing to help you meet NFPA 99 regulations, pass the Joint Commission and CMS, and help prepare you for any situation.

CHT offers medical gas services to help you reach your compliance goals. To help you navigate through these challenges, we offer a free 30-minute discovery call.