1.0        *FEATURED PROJECTS* :

Currently out for bids, this project is a renovation of part of a floor (HCC-Sub Cellar) at the NYU Hospital Center (NYUHC) to house a new 1.5 T clinical MRI, new doctors offices, and new reading rooms. Highlights :

- This is a phased project, of a very active hospital radiology department, that serves outpatients and inpatients.

- Utilizing former Information Technology (IT) space, which was relocated elsewhere, Phase 1 comprises the new doctors offices and reading rooms.

- Utilizing the former space for the doctors offices and reading rooms, vacated per Phase 1, Phase 2 includes the new 1.5 T. MRI,  as well as a new nursing station, patient holding, dressing, gowned waiting, and patient toilet.

- Project goals were to increase : clinical space, rate of throughput, patient and staff satisfaction, and overall attractiveness and functionality of the space.

- Important project parameters : work within the designated project footprint and project budget

- Materials : drywall partitions, VCT, ceramic tile, acoustic ceilings with drywall soffits, hollow metal doors and frames, millwork with wood trim, RF and Magnetic shielding, and custom patient consoles at all stretchers.

- Infrastructure upgrades were an important part of this project, and included : HVAC upgrades, as well as a dewatering system to respond to the existing sub-cellar water infiltration problems.

Currently under construction, this project is a renovation of two floors of space, to house Executive Offices for the NYS Office of Mental Health. (OMH). Highlights :

- Size : app. 20,000 sf

- Project goals were : consolidate executive office functions which had been scattered in various buildings into one central location, facilitate flow and interaction internally amongst the staff and with the general public, increase staff satisfaction and productivity, and to create an extremely attractive, functional, and friendly space.

- Important project parameters : synthesize the input of OMH administration, staff members, and DASNY into a cohesive, successful project.

- Materials : drywall partitions, patterned VCT floors, bordered carpet, acoustic ceilings with drywall soffits, hollow metal doors and frames, new millwork with wood trim, new mobile file storage system including structural support, and new furniture.  

2.0        *ARTICLES OF INTEREST* :

Highlights from this WSJ article, written by Laura Landro  :

- "Most  Americans still have no idea how dangerous it has become to be ill or injured at the wrong time", says Todd Taylor, an Arizona ER physician.

- Reasons for problem : "Uninsured patients who use emergency facilities for primary care, nursing shortages, hospital closings and Medicare cuts."

- Possible Solution : technology in general, and "web-based systems in particular to re-route ambulances …and create 'paperless' emergency rooms to … manage flow so patients aren't backed up on gurneys awaiting a bed".

- Technology usage is increasing ("number of ER's with internet access has doubled each year over the past two years") but many ER's still rely on "1950's technology with barely legible scribbled charts and records on microfilm".

- The article quotes William Cordell, director of Emergency Medical Research and Informatics at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis : "You have to wonder why, if the hotel industry can tell you to the minute when a bed is open and clean, why hospitals can't do the same."  

- Option #1 : Cordell's hospital uses a software program designed by New Wave Software (www.newwavesoft.com) to "track the location of patients, staff, carts and equipment".

- Option #2 : Over 100 hospitals are working with the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (www.ihi.org) to "reinvent the way emergency departments operate". Paraphrasing the IHI chairman, Donald Berwick, "hospitals must approach patient flow the way industrial companies manage engineering and process-improvement programs".

- Option #3 : App. 250 U.S. hospitals are now using the EMSystem by Infinity Healthcare (www.infinityhealthcare.com), a web-based system that "tracks bed availability and diversions in metropolitan areas, communicating directly to ambulances via wireless technology, e-mail paging and even direct internet connections."

Highlights from the WSJ article, written by Rhonda L. Rundle :

- This article highlights a trend towards consumer-oriented, health care facilities in conventional retail environments such malls.

- The article begins by quoting an ad for AmeriScan , a Scottsdale-based retail imaging center : "The full body health scan is the best way to show you care for those you love."

- Example 1 : Ameriscan (www.ameriscan.org), with its Scottsdale imaging center next to Neiman Marcus, offers a full set of scans for $960. Patients leave "with a written report and a compact disc featuring a colorful tour of the inside of their body."

- Example 2 : HealthScreen America (www.healthscreenamerica.com), based  in Jacksonville, Florida, opened its first retail center 18 months ago, and "hopes to raise $50 million and go public over the next several years".

- Are the procedures offered in these centers "necessary" ? The broad medical community "hasn't endorsed mass screening of the population, and … insurance companies rarely pay for the tests".

- The market for these centers : "mostly affluent people" who can pay for these tests even though they will not be reimbursed by their insurance companies. "Many baby boomers now reaching their early 50's aren't satisfied with a traditional annual physical exam, which rarely includes expensive high-tech body imaging".

- The settings of these retail centers appeal to the consumer. Many offer  "a full-blown consumer service, complete with luxury packages, and lobbies furnished with original artwork and the sounds of chirping birds and waterfalls".

(Facility Care, July/August 2001)

Highlights from the article, written by the magazine's editorial staff :

- How relevant are storage systems in the "big picture" ? The authors estimate that institutions such as universities and hospitals allocate app. 20% of their space to storage, i.e. 20% of capital and operating costs.

- "The more storage consolidation a facility manager can orchestrate, the more space is freed and the more money saved. And, facilities save through reducing man-hours through making the inventory system itself more efficient."

- A number of companies provide off-the-shelf systems that are fairly sophisticated, and in some cases "intelligent" :

- Spacesaver Corp. (www.spacesaver.com), along with their standard mobile storage solutions, recently introduced the "StoreFront High Efficiency Mobile Storage System". Features : "pre-sort shelves on the front of the units to allow employees to access active files without opening the aisles". Another system : "QuickSpace" comprised of movable, pull-out shelving units.

- MegaStar Systems (www.megastarsystems.com) makes a similarly-flexible product ; "MediaStation". Using overhead space, " a series of vertically arranged rotating carriers are controlled by an electronic keypad". According to the company, MediaStation uses 60% of the floor space of a conventional lateral file system. Another system : "MegaLift Vertical Lift Module", which "tracks which trays are used more frequently and automatically puts those close to the storage system opening".

- Lista (www.lisatintl.com) offers the "Shallow Depth Storage Wall", where "small items go in the modular drawers, heavier items go on the roll-out trays and bulk supplies can be stored on shelves above the drawers".

- Another option : the "Modulaire Enclosure" by GE Capital Modular Space (www.modspace.com) , which can be used for storage and comes in four foot increments.

- A final option discussed : 100% automated systems, provided by Spacesaver and other manufacturers.

 3.0   *HELPFUL HINTS* : State Health Codes on the Web

- go to :

http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/phforum/nycrr10.htm

- go to : NYCRR Title 10

- go to : Table of Contents

- go to : Section 7-1.7 (general start of construction section)

- go to :

http://www.state.ct.us/dph/PHC2K/PHC2K_Home.htm

- not available on the web at this time --- call : 609-292-7837 to order

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