Special Report

ASHE Annual Conference & Technical Exhibition

Taking a sneak peek into next month’s premier gathering for health facilities processionals in San Antonio
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The American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) Annual Conference & Technical Exhibition will be held Aug. 6-9 in San Antonio, attracting thousands of health care facilities professionals to network with peers, learn about new developments in the field and find solutions to challenges.

Attendees can customize their conference experiences with a mix of keynotes, networking events, vendor visits, add-on options and more. Additionally, the conference provides health facilities professionals with the opportunity to learn with solution-focused educational sessions over six tracks: administration and finance management; assessing risk; compliance; energy management and sustainability; health care project management; and maintenance and operations.

Keynote and general sessions

In addition to a wide range of concurrent technical sessions and a world-class exhibition of products and services providers, the ASHE Annual Conference will feature engaging general sessions, including the following:

  • "Welcome & Keynote — Make Shift Happen: How to Up Your Game and Elevate Your Success in Life." As a former NFL football player, American Ninja Warrior, successful entrepreneur, author and speaker, Anthony Trucks knows it takes more than just hard work to achieve big goals and elite levels of success. In this insightful and engaging program, Trucks teaches audiences how to think, believe and perform the way elite athletes and the most successful business leaders do, so they can achieve brand-new levels of success in their careers, relationships and lives.
  • "Is Compliance Eating Your Lunch? A Debate on Compliance Versus Operations." This debate-style session featuring health care facilities leaders will revolve around the potential conflicts between compliance and daily operation efforts. While both are vital to provide patient and staff safety and to keep a facility organized and safe, the discussion will provide insights into how to leverage both efforts to provide a safe and healing physical environment.
  • "Health Care Workforce Shortage Solutions." It’s no secret that hospitals across the nation are facing extended operational and financial pressures due to pandemic-induced workforce shortages and caregiver burnout. With limited resources, health system leaders must answer the question: How can hospitals focus on replenishing their staff while continuing to offer top-quality patient care? 

This session will survey the key factors impacting health care workforce regrowth, as well as the emerging legislative and technology solutions tackling those obstacles at an institutional level. 

Attendees will learn administrative and recruiting strategies for hiring and retaining top talent and leave with a playbook for preparing a new generation of care providers to meet today’s health care needs.

  • "ASHE Breakfast Session — Focus on Compliance and ASHE Award Recognition" Join ASHE’s executive director and Advisory Board president to celebrate award winners, discuss ASHE’s most recent achievements and gain insight into the exciting plans the society has in store. 

The ASHE Advocacy Team works to monitor and provide guidance on compliance issues within the health care physical environment field. What’s more, ASHE has established a Member Tools Task Force (MTTF) to assist in this effort. The MTTF is a group of knowledgeable ASHE members who create and develop content and tools as resources for all ASHE members and discusses them in a series of articles in Health Facilities Management magazine. This session will cover several of the tools made available through the MTTF and how these tools can help facilities professionals focus on compliance.

  • "The Business Case for Sustainability." Climate change affects health and health care delivery, and hospitals are dealing with the impacts daily. What’s more, it is evident that environmental sustainability and decarbonization can no longer be considered as a supporting element of the health care mission to heal and promote well-being. Instead, there is a communitywide expectation to reduce emissions, protecting the health of patients, employees and communities. As a result, environmental sustainability and decarbonization is an increasingly transformational initiative for health care organizations. This session, hosted by health care sustainability leaders, will engage in a lively discussion on developing the business case for sustainability through integrating sustainable concepts into strategy and culture for health care organizations.

Learn more 

Health facilities professionals should check out ASHE's website for more on this event. It is designed to help them learn, connect and grow as they re-imagine the health care physical environment. 

Add-on events bring more to the ASHE experience

Attendees can choose from pre-conference workshops, a concurrent workshop and a post-conference lunch-and-learn at the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) 2023 Annual Conference & Technical Exhibition in San Antonio (most require an additional fee). They include:

  • “Managing Life Safety: NFPA 101–2012 edition.” Deciphering the 2012 edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®, is an intricate process. This course will provide the information and resources needed to manage a facility’s life safety program.
  • “ASHE ICRA 2.0™ Train-the-Trainer.” Attendees of this workshop will take part in a training of trainers session to engage in meaningful infection prevention by using the ASHE ICRA 2.0™ (Infection Control Risk Assessment) tool, an ASHE “ICRA 2.0 Process Guide” and train-the-trainer materials.
  • “Reliability-Centered Maintenance Made Simple.” Most organizations already have the knowledge, tools and staff needed to implement a successful reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) program. This session will address the path to RCM following the ASHE Reliability-Centered Maintenance Guide and delve into the steps and techniques to start an RCM program.
  • “Fundamentals of Health Care Facility Management™ Program.” Developed for those entering or interested in the health care facility management profession, this two-day workshop will provide a foundation for participants and their departments.
  • “Certified Healthcare Facility Manager Exam Review Program.” Designed to provide a final check before taking the Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM) Exam, this course will help participants gain confidence in the five key competency areas of the CHFM exam. The course fee does not include the CHFM exam fee, nor does it provide exam registration.
  • “Physical Environment Survey Readiness Program: The Care Environment Module.” Prepare for The Joint Commission environment of care survey. This program covers the entire survey process, regulations including NFPA codes and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Conditions of Participation, and common areas of deficiencies.
  • “ASHE Chapter Leadership Forum.” The Chapter Leadership Forum will allow chapter leaders to develop relationships with ASHE Advisory Board members and other chapter leaders across the country and learn best practices, share successes and come together to solve current and future challenges.
  • “Health Care Construction Workshop.” Gain an understanding of the latest compliance issues in health care construction, and learn what owners, staff and patients expect of constructors working in the health care environment. This workshop is held alongside the ASHE Annual Conference.
  • “Lunch & Learn with The Joint Commission.” A panel of experts from The Joint Commission discuss codes and standards issues affecting hospital accreditation.