Don’t feel bad if lots of the terms used in facility requirements and regulations make no sense . . . it is likely many are also foreign to the Architects, Engineers, and Regulatory Officials “in charge” of making sure your facility is/was built right in the first place. We started this list with categories that seem to make sense, and terms we are often asked to explain. We will add more, and/or reorganize, as proves beneficial or necessary.
These can be your pages too . . . E-mail us terms or phrases that you would like explained, and we will add them as soon as we can then write you back to let you know it is (they are) ready.
| APPENDIX L | See “State Operations Manual, Appendix L” below |
| ASC | Ambulatory Surgical Center |
| CFC | Conditions for Coverage, abbreviated as CfCs, i.e., CMS’s operational and physical requirements for ASCs wishing to be Medicare Certified |
| CMS | The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services |
| ENGINEERED SYSTEM(S) | The category of special systems related to and often required in health care facilities, such as Fire Alarm systems, Essential Electrical Systems, Alternate Sources of Power, Piped Medical Gas systems, HVAC systems, Fire Sprinkler systems, etc. |
| LIFE SAFETY CODE® | See “NFPA 101®”, below; abbreviated as “LSC” |
| NFPA | The National Fire Protection Association |
| NFPA 70 | The National Electrical Code |
| NFPA 99 | Health Care Facilities, the NFPA document containing many specific requirements for health care facilities of all types, including emergency power, piped medical gas systems, patient care electrical appliances, and more. |
| NFPA 101® | The Life Safety Code®; the NFPA document describing fire safety requirements for different occupancy types including construction materials and fire protection, exiting, exit lighting, fire alarm system types, fire emergency plans, etc.; also serves as the starting point for references to other NFPA codes and standards important to the given occupancy type. |
| NFPA 110 | The NFPA standard describing requirements for the installation and maintenance of generator sets used as the alternate source of power to an EES |
| NFPA 111 | The NFPA standard describing requirements for the installation and maintenance of battery sources/systems used as the alternate source of power to an EES |
| STATE OPERATIONS MANUAL, APPENDIX L | STATE OPERATIONS MANUAL, APPENDIX L The CMS document describing the content and process for conducting a Medicare Survey of an ASC. While described as a “guideline” for conducting surveys, it is generally applied as a greatly expanded set (inferred by CMS CfCs) of absolute requirements to be evaluated during a Medicare survey. |
| ATS | Automatic transfer switch; the electro/mechanical device that switches the power supply to the facility’s EES from the normal source to an alternate source when the normal source is interrupted |
| ESSENTIAL ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (EES) | Name used by NFPA to describe the overall electrical system providing power to a given facility, including normal (usually utility company) power and alternate (emergency) power. In addition to acceptable sources of alternate power, EES “Types” describe the equipment or systems required to receive alternate power, and any special measures for protecting wiring and receptacles from potentially adverse conditions. The minimum EES required for any ASC is Type 3. Any ASC allowing the scheduled use general anesthesia must provide a Type 1 EES, the same type required in hospitals. |
| GFCI | Ground fault circuit interrupter; a device that shuts off electrical current if it detects a ground fault through a given receptacle or series of receptacles. |
| KVA | Kilo Volt Amps, or kVA; the electrical output of a power source and/or the required power to supply a given electrical systems loads. |
| LOAD | The electrical power used by a given electrical device or system; usually expressed in Watts, Volts & Amps, or kVA. |
| LIM | Line Isolation Monitor; a special configuration of isolation transformers and circuit protections devices configured to detect the earliest signs of ground-fault and issue a warning alarm before occupants would be at risk of harm; will also interrupt the current if a ground fault is or becomes severe enough. |
| RECEPTACLE | When used in relation to electrical systems, refers to the female side of a single three pronged electrical connection of a cord-connected device to the facility wiring; i.e. a single plug-in point for a grounded electrical device cord/adapter. |
| WAGD | Waste anesthetic gas disposal; describes a system by which exhaled anesthetic gases are captured and vented from a room; usually relying on a dedicated exhaust system or the clinical vacuum system for removal of exhaled anesthetic gases. |
| ABHR | Alcohol-based hand rub |
| ANESTHETIZING LOCATION | Defined by NFPA 99 as any room or area where inhalation anesthesia is administered |
| CRITICAL CARE AREA | Defined by various NFPA documents as any room or area where a patient receives care that is invasive and in connected to an electrical device that may be plugged in. Appendix clarifications stipulate that Recovery Rooms and Operating Rooms are both Critical Care areas. |
| GENERAL ANESTHESIA | Relative to NFPA requirements, general anesthesia is taken to mean the scheduled use of an agent that can reasonably be expected to result in a patient needing external assistance (from device or staff member) to maintain their vital functions, such as respiration and cardiovascular function. |
| POC | Plan of Correction, abbreviate PoC; a written description of corrective measures to be taken to resolve a given adverse finding (non-compliance) from a Medicare Survey. |
| PROCEDURE ROOM | A sub-classification of Operating Rooms; defined by CMS as indistinguishable from operating rooms and subject to the same requirements and protection. |
WEL Designs 