Top trends in health care infrastructure

Each year, the editors of Health Facilities Management magazine publish a vast amount of material. Indeed, the articles move from planning and writing to publishing and archiving so quickly that we sometimes have trouble judging their impact. So, as the year comes to a close, we decided to log into our Google Analytics and present the most popular feature articles on our website in categories such as design, technology and environmental services, among others.

Today, as we unpack some of our most popular articles that concentrated on mechanical-electrical-plumbing infrastructure, it's no surprise that regulatory challenges top the list, followed by energy management and operational efficiency issues. Here are the highlights:

Joint Commission rolls out changes

This regulatory article appeared in the September issue and traced the sweeping changes the Joint Commission made to its Environment of Care and Life Safety standards as well as the hospital survey process. Based on a presentation at the summer American Society for Healthcare Engineering conference, this article got the most web hits of any of our infrastructure-related features for the year. 

Three areas that can benefit from BIM

Long known as a design-and-construction tool, building information modeling (BIM) slowly has been adopted by facilities managers attempting to wrap their arms around the vast physical spaces and pieces of equipment they've been charged to maintain. This article tells readers how BIM can be used for space planning, asset management and even infection control.

Improving energy efficiency in hospitals

A perennial favorite among our readers from the engineering ranks, energy efficiency requires a rare combination of technical acumen and financial savvy. This popular article interviewed experts from within hospitals and allied organizations to discover how benchmarking and a staged approach can lead to better hospital energy performance.

Alternative utility equipment maintenance requirements

Another regulatory article discusses the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' updated and expanded equipment inventory and hospital equipment maintenance requirements. It contains requirements and survey guidance on the conditions under which an organization can choose not to follow a manufacturer's recommendations — a must for facilities managers who want to develop their own compliance maintenance routines. 

Commissioning for hospital infrastructure systems

Infrastructure commissioning is now standard operating procedure for any new facility coming online as well as many older facilities that need a tune-up to achieve better reliability and energy savings. This article covers a technologically advanced approach to existing building and ongoing commissioning developmed and trademarked by the Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University over the course of many years.

Editor's note: This blog is part of an end-of-years series, in which Health Facilities Management's editors review some of the year's top stories. Catch our posts on trends in health care construction, technology and design.