Health Choice Enterprises
Simplifying Healthcare Compliance (Environment of Care)

An effective healthcare facility compliance program starts the groundwork to allow for full reimbursement of all Medicare and/ or Medicaid service provided revenue and protects against liabilities that could result in injury. The compliance survey process can also uncover problems in environmental/lifesaving mechanical systems that are a result of wear and tear, incompetent maintenance and/or deliberate fraud. However, hospital Plant Operation Directors who are often answerable for the policies and maintenance of these systems are pulled in a million different ways and need to find and build trust in companies that they can delegate such responsibilities to. With over two decades of experience in environmental laws and regulations, Health Choice Enterprises (HCE), a firm based in Kentucky, helps healthcare providers maintain compliance with their accreditation agencies where environmental and medical gas testing is required. “What sets us aside from other companies is our never-ending attention to detail. We have incorporated audits in our evaluation protocols to assure accurate reporting,” says Neal Branstetter, President of HCE.

To help clients ensure they are providing a safe work environment, HCE provides monitoring services that satisfy standards set forth by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). HCE reports are formatted to the healthcare facility’s CMS-approved accreditation program (i.e. TJC, HFAP, DNV, and AAAHC). Also, within each monitoring program, HCE uses both government and private agencies (i.e. OSHA, NIOSH, CDC, NFPA, FGI, etc.) to assure their reports meet all applicable requirements.

HCE environmental monitoring programs include Waste Anesthetic Gas (WAG), Ventilation and Pressure, Glutaraldehyde, Laboratory Gases (formaldehyde, xylene), Acetic Acid, Pressure Monitor testing and calibration, Ethylene Oxide, Hydrogen Peroxide, Particle Count, and many more.

Apart from providing the required evaluations of the environment (hazardous gases, ventilation) and medical gas systems, HCE has licensed instructors who help the medical gas industry maintain their required certifications. These certifications, an NFPA requirement, range from verifier (6030), installer (6010), inspector (6020) and maintenance (6040). HCE also has a full-service medical gas program that can advise for new construction and help aging facilities replace and/or maintain all the components that comprise a complete medical gas system (i.e., vacuum, oxygen, medical air, nitrogen, nitrous oxide). “There are provisions that NFPA makes for aging facilities, which includes repairs and keeping them up to date. But that can be quite difficult because of the age of the system. So, one of the big things HCE does is turnkey project management for these repairs. We can help them from start to finish,” mentions Rocky Plotts, Director of Operations at Health Choice Enterprises.

Health Choice plans to expand its services in other parts of the world and also aims to introduce more programs. “We are always looking to expand our services to diversify in the compliance hospital world to make healthcare compliance more cost-effective, friendly and safe,” concludes Plotts.