CMS released a proposed rule on October 27, 2006, that would require all long-term care facilities to be equipped with automatic sprinkler systems to improve fire safety. Citing two long-term care facility fires in 2003 in Nashville and Hartford that resulted in 31 deaths, CMS said that automatic sprinkler systems would limit the scope of a developing fire and prevent the fire from spreading beyond the area where it started. The agency estimates the cost to long-term care facilities would be $47.8-$69.9 million, $73.5-107.5 million, and $107.7-157.6 million based on phase-in periods of ten years, seven years and five years, respectively. The agency is especially interested in receiving comments about the phase-in period for installing automatic sprinkler systems. Comments on the proposed rule are due Dec. 26.

AHA plans to comment on the proposed rule in collaboration with the American Society for Healthcare Engineering. If you anticipate concerns with this rule, please let me know so that I can alert my colleague Rochelle Archuleta, AHA Policy who is preparing our comments.

Spencer L. Grover, Vice President
Indiana Hospital&Health Association
sgrover@inhha.org
317-423-7729
  

If you missed the most recent issue of ISHE Issues, download it right now at <http://isheweb.org/ISHE_issuesQ306.pdf>. Like always, this most recent issue was filled with industry news and valuable information that will help both you and your organization. A great example of that was the article "A Deployable and Scalable Asset Management System".

Learn why Wally Veazie of GE Energy thinks that designing an asset management system that integrates condition-based monitoring, automated advisories and a data repository within an open, agile and scalable architecture is not out of reach.

If you would like to contribute an article to ISHE Issues, contact Steve Thurston right now at sthurston@indy.rr.com.
  

We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming events!!!

Have a great day!!!!