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Archive for 2015

Blog Post

Compliance News: ECRI Publishes List of Top Health Technology Hazards for 2016

ECRI recently published its 2016 Top 10 Health Technology Hazards list.  Healthcare organizations could consider the latest update of this list as one of many potential sources for identifying new safety risks or ensuring due consideration of previously-identified safety risks. Element of Performance # 1 under TJC’s Standard EC.02.01.01 requires identifying safety and security risks […]

Industry Article

Infrastructures to Improve Patient Safety

Technology and engineering systems help to boost environment of care In a recent article for Health Facilities Management, author Mike Hrickiewicz explores the different ways in which technology and engineering infrastructures are contributing to improved patient safety practices in healthcare facilities. Covering systems ranging from mechanical to nurse call, plumbing to security, Hrickiewicz calls on three SSR consultants (Debbie […]

Blog Post

CLINICAL CONSULTING: WHAT VALUE DO CLINICIANS BRING TO THE PLANNING AND DESIGN OF HEALTHCARE FACILITIES?

Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law in 2010, there have been continuing transformations in hospital financial, technological, and clinical practices. These transformations have in some cases led to the establishment of competing priorities for hospital decision makers. Two of the biggest issues facing hospitals that cross financial, technological, and clinical lines […]

Blog Post

Compliance News: ASHE and TJC Provide Joint Assistance with Problematic Compliance Issues

Since ASHE and TJC announced their joint effort to address the most problematic physical environment issues at the July 2015 ASHE Annual Conference in Boston, both organizations have been making good on that promise. The TJC Physical Environment Portal (TJC PE Portal) is available at TJC’s website under the main TOPICS heading.  Interested parties can […]

Industry Article

Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems and Code Compliance

J. Patrick Banse, PE, Senior Project Manager and Mechanical Engineer, recently wrote an article, “Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems and Code Compliance” for Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine. The article addresses dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS) that deliver dehumidified air to buildings to improve the indoor air quality and thermal comfort. Included in the article is an explanation […]

Industry Article

Ramping Up

Daniel Sours, PE, SE, along with former SSR employees Andy Kizzee and Lee Schultz,  wrote an article, Ramping UP, for Modern Steel Construction’s November issue. The article explores structural elements at the new Beale Street Landing (Memphis, TN), a port for riverboat traffic as well as a high-profile public park. The structures include a floating dock accessed by a […]

News Story

Making Room For Isolation Patients

Healthcare Design magazine recently published an article online about the new Ebola treatment center at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) West Campus. TCH, along with Page Architects, designed the $16 million, eight-bed isolation unit to care for “normal” isolation patients with the ability to convert to “special” isolation mode for highly contagious infectious diseases. SSR provided […]

Press Release

Connect with Us: November

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of November. SSRCx will be exhibiting at the annual Design Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) Conference and Expo in Denver, CO, November 2-4. Join […]

News Story

Airport Authority to Construct $10.4M Geothermal Cooling System

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority recently broke ground on a $10.4 million geothermal cooling system which is expected to be completed next summer. The new cooling system, one of the largest geothermal lake plate cooling systems in North America, is expected to save the Airport Authority more than $430,000 in utility payments annually. Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. […]

Blog Post

Compliance News: Ongoing Challenges with HVAC Systems Addressed

ASHE and five other professional organizations issued an important Joint Interim Guidance statement in late September addressing the ongoing challenges with HVAC systems serving operating rooms and sterile processing departments.  The Joint Interim Guidance document was dated September 21, 2015 and issued shortly thereafter as a PDF file by the signatory organizations. The six signatory organizations […]

Industry Article

Deferred Maintenance: Survey Says Managers Confident About Overcoming Backlog

Facility Maintenance Decisions recently surveyed more than 550 in-house engineers and maintenance managers about deferred maintenance in their facilities. Darren Harvey, PE, LEED AP, Principal and Senior Mechanical Engineer for SSR, was interviewed by Facilities Net for his opinions on the findings of the survey. The survey included a range of questions covering topics such as specific […]

Press Release

Connect with Us: October

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of October. SSR is proud, once again, to be an exhibitor and sponsor at the Tennessee Hospital Association’s Annual Meeting. This year’s conference, “Mission […]

Industry Article

Roundtable: Regulatory Compliance

David Stymiest, PE, CHFM, CHSP, FASHE, Senior Consultant, recently participated in a roundtable discussion for FacilitiesNet.com on regulatory compliance. Stymiest, along with two others, weighed in on compliance challenges and the trends and developments they foresee. Follow to link below to read about strategies on how to keep up.

Blog Post

Compliance News: What About the Other Standards?

The healthcare facilities community is expecting CMS adoption of NFPA 101-2012 (Life Safety Code®) and NFPA 99-2012 (Health care Facilities Code) later this year or sometime early next year.  While we have been awaiting adoption, may organizations have already made it a point to become familiar with some of the major changes within those two […]

Industry Article

HVAC in Focus

Panstadia & Arena Management recently ran an article exploring the challenges associated with designing HVAC systems for arenas and stadiums. Multiple architects and engineers were interviewed and provided key insights on the design of these complex systems, including SSR’s Senior Principal Mike Rogers, PE, LEED AP. Follow the link below to read the article in full.

Press Release

Connect with Us: September

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of September. Members of the Building Solutions and Commissioning programs will be attending the Rocky Mountain APPA Annual Meeting taking place September 9-11 in […]

Blog Post

Compliance News: TJC Clarifies Life Safety Surveyors’ Survey Assessments

TJC Director of Engineering George Mills announced some July 2015 changes to the Life Safety Surveyor’s portion of hospital triennial surveys during his recent TJC Update session at the ASHE Annual Conference in Boston. Mr. Mills covered many important subjects during this presentation.  This SSR Compliance News issue discusses only some changes that directly affect […]

Industry Article

SSR Ranked in BD+C’s 2015 Giants 300 Report

Building Design + Construction recently unveiled their 2015 Giants 300 listing and report. The report, based on AEC industry consultant PSMJ Resources’  2015 PSMJ A/E Financial Performance Benchmark Survey Report and BD+C’s annual Giants 300 report, highlights a return to optimism across the industry thanks to a rise in profits and revenue over the past […]

Press Release

Connect with Us: August

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of August. SSR is a proud Platinum sponsor of this year’s SASHTO conference, taking place in our hometown of Nashville, TN. The conference, which […]

Blog Post

Compliance News: Evolution of Utility System Technology

Hospitals are dealing with the issues of utility system equipment technology failures and managing the need for ongoing technology upgrades as equipment designs evolve. Many hospitals have varying generations of utility system digital control technology built into major electrical, mechanical, vertical transportation, etc. operating components that were installed over the past few decades. Examples include […]

Press Release

Belmont University’s Wedgewood Academic Center achieves LEED Platinum certification

Ten months after a successful opening, the Wedgewood Academic Center was recently awarded prestigious LEED Platinum® certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making Belmont the first University in Tennessee and the first LEED for New Construction project in Nashville to achieve that level, the highest in the LEED ratings system. SSR provided commissioning and […]

Press Release

Connect with Us: July

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of July. Both SSR and SSRCx will be attending at this year’s ASHE Annual Conference in Boston, MA, July 12-15.  Join us and 3,000 […]

Industry Article

Inspecting Hospital Building Envelopes

Rick Ziegler, PE, RRO, and Greg Isaacs, PE, recently had an article, “Inspecting Hospital Building Envelopes,” published by Health Facilities Management. The article discusses the importance of building envelope maintenance, conducting envelope inspections, and when to utilize consultants. Follow the link below to read the article in its entirety.

Industry Article

Screw Centrifugal Pumps & YP Perspective

Smith Seckman Reid’s Civil and Environmental engineers recently had two articles published in the 2015 edition of Water Professionals Connector, the annual joint publication from the Kentucky/Tennessee Section of AWWA and Kentucky-Tennessee  Water Environment Association. Mike Bernard, PE, Joe Griffey, PE, and Lindsay Bryant, PE, from SSR, along with John Strickland and Darren Gore of […]

Press Release

Connect with Us: June

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of June. Members of SSR’s Civil and Environmental Program, as well as Horizontal Program, will be exhibiting at the Tennessee Municipal League 2015 Annual […]

News Story

RichEllen Park Nearing Completion

RichEllen Park, nearly three years in the making, is weeks away from a public roll-out to the surrounding community. The largest park in Montgomery County Parks & Recreation Department’s inventory is planning a July opening date. SSR is providing civil site design for the 52 acre park, home to ball fields, walking trails, playgrounds, and more. […]

Blog Post

Compliance News: Utility Failure Procedures

Most hospitals have utility failure procedures for major utility systems or equipment.  However many utility failure plans have room for improvement, particularly in how they deal with common-mode failure potential within those utility systems. The HFM Magazine article How to Plan for Water Outages published in early 2015 referenced an excellent document published by the […]

Press Release

Connect with Us: May

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of May. Chad Miller, PE, LEED AP, will be attending and exhibiting at the South Carolina Society for Hospital Engineers Spring conference, taking place […]

Press Release

SSR Named to Nashville’s Mayor’s Workplace Challenge Hall of Fame

Firm also earns three seals of distinction Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR), a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects, is honored to be inducted into the Mayor’s Workplace Challenge Hall of Fame. As a participant in the challenge since it started in 2012, SSR has emphasized a collective commitment to making […]

Industry Article

The Key to Clinical Space Design

Debbie Gregory, RN, BSN, was recently interviewed by Hospitals & Health Networks about new trends in designing clinical spaces to be both patient and technology friendly. In the article, Gregory explores the role of interprofessional collaboration to ensure quality and safety in healthcare facilities and how it has become a necessity in bridging the gap between […]

Blog Post

Compliance News: Construction-Renovation Projects and Utility Inventories

A historical area of compliance challenges, related to hospital construction/renovation projects, may be getting worse.  Many organizations have struggled with obtaining timely receipt of details relating to new utility system components as well as manufacturer’s operating and maintenance manuals. The CMS December 2013 Alternate Equipment Management changes (related TJC July 2014 Alternate Equipment Maintenance changes), […]

Industry Article

Reducing Disinfection Byproducts (DBP)

Stones River Water Treatment Plant and Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. conducted a study of the water treatment plant and distribution system aimed at reducing disinfection byproducts. This was necessary to maintain compliance with the federal Stage 2 Disinfection Byproduct Rule (DPBR). After examining the results of the data, it was determined that Stones River had […]

Industry Article

Emergency Power Code Revisions

Healthcare facilities are anticipating a substantial change in codes regarding emergency power systems management. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is expected to adopt the 2012 editions of the National Fire Protection Association’s Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) and Health Care Facilities Code (NFPA 99) within the next year or so. The Joint Commission is  expect […]

Industry Article

Optimizing Genset Sizing

Tom Divine was recently authored the cover story article for Pure Power magazine on designing generator systems. The article addresses requirements for different types of loads described in codes, their impact in various types of facilities, and ways to avoid testing difficulties. Follow the link below to read the article in its entirety.

Press Release

Connect with Us: April

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce that several SSR team members will be representing the firm at various conferences around the country during the month of April. SSR is proud to sponsor the Memphis Chapter of CSI’s Products Display Show, Build […]

Press Release

Two SSR Projects Recognized by MS ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards

Methodist Olive Branch Hospital receives Grand Conceptor Award; Hernando Lagoon Reclamation project receives Owner Award Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce that two projects were recently recognized by the Mississippi ACEC chapter’s 2015 Engineering Excellence Awards. Methodist Olive Branch Hospital was […]

Blog Post

Compliance News: Alternate Equipment Management/Maintenance (AEM) Risk Assessments

Many hospitals are struggling with the AEM risk assessments required by both the CMS Survey & Certification Letter and the TJC July 2nd revisions.  This newsletter discusses the AEM risk assessment requirements. Compliance News previously discussed the driving CMS 2014 Survey & Certification Letter S&C:14-07-Hospital and its enclosed Appendix A interpretive guidelines generally in our […]

Industry Article

HVAC Systems for Off Site Care

Off-site healthcare facilities have become a growing trend across the healthcare market. These smaller facilities don’t require the same amount of demand that larger facilities do. Manufacturers have developed options to meet the decreased HVAC needs of these smaller facilities. In a recent article by Health Facilities Management,  Clay Seckman, PE, Senior Principal, explained the difference between packaged and split […]

Industry Article

Preventing Wet Stacking

Tom Divine, PE, LEED AP, recently authored an article for Consulting-Specifying Engineer exploring the cause of wet stacking, a phenomenon that affects diesel engines, and some ways to prevent or treat the buildup. Follow the link below to view the article in it’s entirety.

Press Release

Connect with Us: March

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce that several SSR team members will be representing the firm at various conferences around the country during the month of March. Laura Ludwig, PE, QCxP and Steve Harrell, CEM, CxA will be presenting at the ASHRAE […]

Blog Post

Cx Monitor: Adding Greater Value to our Facilities: M&V and MBCx

Once a facility is built and fully operational, what assurances does the owner have that the building will perform as intended?  Operational energy performance is a priority for building owners, and as the old adage goes, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Without actionable, systems-level data on energy usage for our facilities, performance decay […]

Blog Post

Compliance News: Emergency Management Planning for Hospital Water Outages

An article just published in the February 2015 issue of Healthcare Facilities Management (HFM) Magazine discusses in detail many issues related to planning for hospital water outages.  The article is available online at the HFM Magazine website. Water outages are unfortunately a common cause or effect of cascading failures.  They can occur as a result […]

Industry Article

How to Plan for Water Outages

SSR’s Senior Consultant, David Stymiest, PE, CHFM, CHSP, FASHE, discusses how healthcare facilities can prepare for water supply disruptions in the latest issue of Health Facilities Management (HFM) magazine. In the article, Stymiest discusses different potential causes of water disruption and the impact that it can have on all aspects of a healthcare facilities operations. Beyond […]

Press Release

Connect with Us: February

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce that several SSR team members will be representing the firm at various conferences around the country during the month of February. Kevin Wolfford, CPD, Regional Operations Director will be attending the COAA Winter Workshop, taking […]

News Story

Speeding Up Hospital Construction

Medical Construction & Design recently featured an article on the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center’s (UT Southwestern) recently completed work on a $800 million expansion facility, located in Dallas, TX.  The UT Southwestern William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital was necessary to meet the growing needs of patient demands. The new facility consists of 12 floors and […]

Industry Article

Designing Clinical Spaces Through Collaboration

Debbie Gregory, RN, BSN, recently sat down with Health Facilities Management to discuss what is required to create safe, efficient clinical spaces. In the interview she explores new technologies and the challenges presented in regards to integration and infrastructure, keys to improving patient safety and outcomes while optimizing workflow, how to ensure adequate clinical representation […]

Blog Post

Cx Monitor: BECx and Energy Efficency

Modern building enclosures are designed and constructed using numerous complex systems and materials.  Combined with demands for quality, durability, schedule, and energy performance, it’s not surprising that the building enclosure represents the majority of building failures and construction defect claims.  Simply defined as a quality-based process implemented to evaluate and verify the owner’s project requirements […]

Blog Post

Compliance News: CMS Guidance for AEM Tracers

By now many hospital facility directors have reviewed the Hospital Equipment Maintenance Requirements contained within the current CMS Alternate Equipment Management (AEM) program rules being enforced by CMS and all of its deemed accrediting organizations.  We previously discussed the driving CMS 2014 Survey & Certification Letter S&C:14-07-Hospital and its enclosed Appendix A interpretive guidelines generally […]

News Story

Using the Environment for Healing Today and Forever

Partners HealthCare’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown, MA, was recently featured by Walls and Ceilings magazine for the use of innovative sustainable elements to aid in patient recovery. SSR was the low voltage consultant for the project. Follow the link below for the article.