2021 Environments for Aging

E08 - Compliant Today but Not Tomorrow: When the Code Changes but Your Building Has Not (Room Meeting Room 12)

29 Aug 21
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

Tracks: Guidelines, Codes + Standards

Speaker(s): James Mehaffey, Senior Project Manager, RLPS Architects; Andrew Schneider, President / Fire Protection Engineer, D&D Engineering, LLC

Maintaining regulatory compliance is a paramount concern to operators of long-term care programs, whether it be for direct patient care or facility safety.  Everyone can agree that building safety is important; however, what happens when regulations change but your building doesn’t?  While the Life Safety Code does not hold existing, occupied buildings to the same standards as new construction, such buildings are required to meet similar, though less stringent requirements.  This session will discuss how codes are enforced on existing long-term care facilities and how recent updates to federal regulations produced confusion and panic until  addressed by CMS months later.  Additionally, alternatives to prescriptive compliance will be discussed through select case-studies.