Ambulatory surgical centers (ASC) must meet the same complex life safety regulatory requirements as larger medical facilities. Additionally, local code inspectors often use different standards than the federal standards that ASCs must meet to acquire Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) accreditation.
TEC’s team of life-safety experts provides the services ASCs need to achieve federal compliance, avoid costly redesigns, and maintain safe environments for patients and staff. Our experts have decades of experience helping medical facilities achieve the accreditation they require to start helping patients sooner.
Our Ambulatory Surgical Center Services
ASC Plan Reviews
TEC’s Life Safety Code experts analyze ambulatory surgery center (ASC) plans to ensure compliance with the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services(CMS) adopted codes. This identifies potential issues with future Life Safety Surveys.
Mock Life Safety Surveys
Our team assesses facilities to identify potential survey deficiencies that may arise during an official life safety survey. We then we provide actionable recommendations to address the deficiencies.
Life Safety Code Coaching
We teach ASC staff what they need to know about ongoing checks, logs, inspection, testing, maintenance requirements, and proper life safety documentation practices.
ASC Space Conversions Assessments
TEC conducts on-site assessments to identify necessary modifications for Life Safety Code compliance. Our team then provides recommendations for architects, designers, and other stakeholders.
Code Compliance
In order to avoid legal and regulatory compliance issues, ASCs must adhere to fire codes, safety regulations, and security industry-best standards. This includes fire safety and security inspections, accessibility requirements, and health and safety regulations compliance.
Staff and Patient Safety
Staff and patient safety are crucial in the healthcare setting. Clients within this sector seek comprehensive fire protection and life safety solutions. Solutions include evacuation plans, life safety measures, emergency preparedness, and violence prevention strategies that safeguard both personnel and patients.
Who Benefits from Our ASC Services?
Doctors/Physician Owners
Whether looking to purchase an existing ASC or convert an existing space into an ASC, we represent the owner’s interest and provide a detailed report of deficiencies they will need to address before seeking accreditation.
If the client is already working with an architect, we can also act as a third-party consultant who validates that the designs are compliant, potentially saving time and money that would be spent later in the project addressing deficiencies.
Architects
We ensure code compliance for approval of plans. Our experts help architects navigate the differences between CMS code and local jurisdictional code. The distinction between local code and CMS code can be easily overlooked, but our team can help navigate these with ease.
ASC Administrators and ASC Managers
We can work with the management staff that’s responsible for maintaining the ASC’s accreditation and compliance with CMS regulations. We provide mock surveys that expose deficiencies and provide recommendations to fix them before the ASC’s official survey (required every three years). Our experts also provide training for compliance testing, fire drills, and emergency plans that are typically completed in a single workday.