2023 MHCEA Fall Conference Speakers

September 13 – 15, 2023
River’s Edge Convention Center
10 4th Ave S, St Cloud, MN 56301

Keynote Session Speakers

Finding Your Beat, the Rhythm of Life

Tim Eggebraaten - offdutychief

Having worked in the Criminal Justice field for nearly 28 years, Tim Eggebraaten is an expert at working the beat. Starting his career as a correctional officer in 1989 and as a police officer in 1992, he held many positions along the way, including Chief of Police … and when he left law enforcement in 2016, he was excited to accept the role of “Off Duty Chief” allowing him to take his experiences, message, music and talent to the streets

Abstract

Tim knows the importance of paying attention to the rhythm of life. Having worked in the Criminal Justice field for 28 years, he is an expert at Working the Beat and has learned through experience the value of discovering the harmony in it all. We all face challenges that create our own beat in life when balancing family and careers and struggling to find time for ourselves and our physical, mental, and spiritual health. Prepare to be energized, inspired, and entertained as “The Off-Duty Chief” shares strategies and tactics for finding YOUR RHYTHM!

General Session Speakers

Benchmarking Hospital Facility Costs: Improving Budget Justification and Forecasting

Steven Call, PhD - Consultant / Founder, Built Environment Resources

Dr. Steven A. Call believes healthcare facility management should be a highly recognized and respected professional discipline, where a commitment to mission intersects with abundant resources and opportunity. As a previous Director of Facilities and Construction at OSF Healthcare (previously Provena Health), Dr. Call is intimately aware of the overwhelming challenges facing healthcare facility leaders across the US. Driven by a desire to serve and elevate this vitally important community, Dr. Call has dedicated his career to discovering and innovating concepts and tools to address the most critical issues impacting the healthcare built environment. Dr. Call’s research and consulting efforts have helped countless healthcare systems and government agencies resolve many contemporary challenges around engineering workforce planning, facility budget deficits, and aging infrastructure.

Dr. Call is a faculty member in the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture at Washington State University. He possesses more than 15 years of professional experience leading real estate, construction, and facilities programs for corporations in healthcare, defense, technology, and manufacturing. Dr. Call completed his PhD in Construction Management at Arizona State University, his Master of Science degree in Real Estate from Florida International University, and his Bachelor of Science degree in Facilities Management from Brigham Young University.

Abstract

Healthcare organizations are experiencing increasing pressure to improve profit margins and must effectively manage expenses to ensure long-term financial wellbeing while meeting the sizable and growing demand for healthcare in the communities they serve. Physical facilities, including hospitals and clinics, that healthcare organizations manage are critical to supporting many important healthcare services. The operation and maintenance of these critical facilities, however, is a major expense that must be accurately forecasted and budgeted in order to meet accounting best-practices, justify the cost, and positively affect hospitals’ financial performance. Nevertheless, few models are available to aid facility and finance professionals in forecasting, budgeting for, and benchmarking hospital facility operating expenses. This is especially true when attempting to estimate future operating expenses from planned capital improvements.

The most common metric used in establishing benchmarks for facility operating expenses is a building’s gross square feet (GSF). Yet, using the GSF metric in a ratio model can be problematic as the GSF is typically not publicly available, space calculations can be inconsistent, and it is unclear whether there is a significant correlation between GSF and a hospitals’ facility operating expenses. This presentation explores publicly available data regarding utilization and financial metrics and their correlation with hospitals’ facility operating expenses to then present a reliable and easy-to-use ratio model for forecasting and cost predictions.

ASHE Update

Gordan "Gordy" Howie, MSPM, CHFM, CHC - President, ASHE

Gordon (Gordy) Howie is the Regional Chair - Facilities & Support Services for Mayo Clinic Health System in Northwest Wisconsin and is based out of Eau Claire. Gordy is a candidate for the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) President position. Gordy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology/Plant Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Stout and a Master of Science degree in Project Management from the University of Alaska - Anchorage. He is a Certified Healthcare Facilities Manager, Certified Healthcare Constructor, and is a Past President of the Wisconsin Healthcare Engineering Association State Board. He is an active ASHE member, currently serving as the Region 6 Advisory Board Member. He has served on the Region 6 Conference Planning Committee for the past six years and served on the Region 6 Nominating Committee. With 26 years of facilities management and leadership experience, Gordy has successfully lead teams in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard, hotel industry, and in healthcare. Before transitioning to healthcare, he served as a leader in Property Operations for Hilton Hotels in Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Anaheim, and Anchorage. Gordy spent six years as a Facilities Director for Mayo Clinic Health System and the past seven years as Regional Director of Facilities & Construction. He has responsibility for facilities maintenance, construction and project management, environmental services, emergency management, safety, and the Environment of Care for five hospitals, 12 clinics, and two outpatient dialysis clinics.

Abstract

Abstract Coming Soohn.

Facilities Information Transfer (FIT)

Joshua Brackett, SASHE, CHFM  - Systems Regulatory Director, Facilities Operations, Banner Health

Joshua Brackett is a Co-Founder + Chief Learning Officer at Legacy FM and is the Systems Regulatory Director of Facilities Operations at Banner Health. Josh offers numerous perspectives into healthcare facilities management, fire protection, life safety, codes, and regulatory compliance due to his broad background. He also cofounded Legacy FM, a national wide company focused on developing education and training programs for facilities management teams. Josh is a licensed fire protection engineer with senior status at ASHE (SASHE) and a Certified Healthcare Facilities Manager (CHFM). Josh is on ASHE’s Regulatory Affairs Committee, Health Care Code & Standards Review Committee of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and several other NFPA committees. He also serves on several projects for the NFPA Research Foundation.

Ryan Schramm, PE, SASHE, CHFM, CHC - Sr. Systems Manager, Facilities Operations Services, Banner Health

Ryan Schramm is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) at Legacy FM and is the Senior Systems Manager of Facilities Operations at Banner Health. Due to his diverse experiences, Ryan offers unique perspectives into healthcare facilities management, construction project services, CMMS optimization, and asset risk management. Ryan is a Senior-designated member of ASHE (SASHE), Certified Healthcare Facilities Manager (CHFM), Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC) and possess over 17 years of combined experience in healthcare facilities management and construction management. Ryan currently serves as a member on ASHE’s Member’s Tools Task Force (MTTF), ASHE’s Healthcare Facility Data Standardization Steering Committee and is the current Chair of ASHE’s Operational Optimization Statement Definition Task Force (OOS/DTF).

Abstract

This session focuses on a healthcare system and how they have systematically developed a process over the last 5 years for transition to facilities operations day 1. The specific means/methods/systems/technologies are unique to Banner Health BUT the overall process and framework are repeatable by other healthcare organizations of all shapes and sizes. This process includes, but is not limited to, asset tagging/location of all devices, device nomenclature alignment, space tag/nomenclature alignment, development/transfer of device PM requirements for all assets for CMMS import, asset risk alignment, survey readiness drawings, critical space pressure drawings, alignment of sprinkler, fire alarm notification, medical gas zones for digital drawing format, and more. The process today is over 70 pages of information/processes/checklists shared between the multi-disciplinary team, with various roles and responsibilities. This process serves as the foundation for ensuring projects are executed to deliver a consistent operational product for a smooth transition. This makes sure the facility is truly ready on the first day the facility is open. This session includes individuals who has helped collaborate to develop and execute this process. The team will discuss the spark that ignited this along with the hurdles, lessons learned, training, and more. Further, all documents associated with this process will be available for others to use/replicate/improve.

Do you See what I See? Common Deficiencies during a Survey

Kimberly (Kim) Swenson - Deputy State Fire Marshal - HealthCare Inspector, Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Kim Swenson has been a long-standing Firefighter and Fire investigator while raising a family of 3 kids with experience working in Healthcare providing services in an Emergency Department. Kim moved to the State Fire Marshal Healthcare Division, a department of the Minnesota Department of Safety, in 2014 providing inspections to Healthcare facilities. Kim’s long-lasting commitment to Healthcare life safety is evident in the 9 years of experience seeing life safety deficiencies and providing educational opportunities to Healthcare executive and facility leadership.

Abstract

This session will review survey processes conducted in Long Term and Hospital facilities to include paperwork and staffing for inspections. Participants will be provided several diverse deficiencies seen in facility surveys and obtain knowledge on common strategies to improve compliance. Participants will also be provided with time for question and answer helping members improve their compliance within their facilities

Educational Session Speakers

Asset Management Boot Camp

Joshua Brackett, PE, SASHE, CHFM, CHC - Sr. Systems Manager, Facilities Operations, Banner Health

Joshua Brackett is a Co-Founder + Chief Learning Officer at Legacy FM and is the Systems Regulatory Director of Facilities Operations at Banner Health. Josh offers numerous perspectives into healthcare facilities management, fire protection, life safety, codes, and regulatory compliance due to his broad background. He also cofounded Legacy FM, a national wide company focused on developing education and training programs for facilities management teams. Josh is a licensed fire protection engineer with senior status at ASHE (SASHE) and a Certified Healthcare Facilities Manager (CHFM). Josh is on ASHE’s Regulatory Affairs Committee, Health Care Code & Standards Review Committee of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and several other NFPA committees. He also serves on several projects for the NFPA Research Foundation.

Ryan Schramm, SASHE, CHFM - System Regulatory Director, Facilities Services, Banner Health

Ryan Schramm is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) at Legacy FM and is the Senior Systems Manager of Facilities Operations at Banner Health. Due to his diverse experiences, Ryan offers unique perspectives into healthcare facilities management, construction project services, CMMS optimization, and asset risk management. Ryan is a Senior-designated member of ASHE (SASHE), Certified Healthcare Facilities Manager (CHFM), Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC) and possess over 17 years of combined experience in healthcare facilities management and construction management. Ryan currently serves as a member on ASHE’s Member’s Tools Task Force (MTTF), ASHE’s Healthcare Facility Data Standardization Steering Committee and is the current Chair of ASHE’s Operational Optimization Statement Definition Task Force (OOS/DTF).

Abstract

Because 82% to 83% of the total cost of a facility is related to owning and operating it over its useful life, it is crucial for health care professionals to leverage many data sources to support better-informed decisions and action. The goal for any asset is to function throughout its life cycle to its greatest capabilities, all while consuming the least amount of resources possible, and limiting operational impact/downtime.

Ultimately, the journey toward creating a more reliable building and systems must be strategic. When asset risk management data is combined with asset management strategies to evaluate impact on operations as well as resource consumptions, organizations can optimize performance and begin delivering services at the highest value possible.

What are the AL Engineers looking for with the HVA for Assisted Living with Dementia

Bob Dehler , PE - Engineering Manager, Minnesota Department of Health

Mr.Dehler is a professional engineer with over 27 years of engineering experience including over fourteen years at the minnestoa Department of Health. He has managed the engineering program for about the last 8 years.

Bob graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with a degree in civil engineering and is a licensed engineer in the state of Minnesota. As the manager of the engineering service section, he is responsible for the review and inspection of construction in healthcare facilities throughout the state of Minnesota. the sections enforced licensure requirements of the state of Minnesota and federal certification requirements of the state of Minnesota and feral certification requirements of the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS).

Bob is a member of ASHE, NFPA, and the healthcare guidelines revisioned committee of the Facility Guidelines Institute

Abstract

A licensed assisted living with dementia care facility must perform an HVA and mitigation per statute 144G. We will discuss this requirement and hopefully remove some confusion around it. We will talk about what exactly the statute says and why it was included in the law. We will end the presentation discussing items that have been called out by tHVA and the mitigation plan that we have seen on survey.

Making the Most of Existing Healthcare Facility HVAC Systems

Rebecca Ellis, PE, LEED AP, CCP, BCxP, CxA - President, Questions & Solutions Engineering

Ms.Ellis is a nationally recognized leader in the building commissioning industry. She is president of the Questions & Solutions Engineering where she has helped define and oversee existing building commissioning at the Mayo Clinic's Rochester, Minnesota campus for 10 years. In addition to being a licensed professional engineer in 18 states, she is a LEED Accredited Professional and holds commissioning certifications from ASHRAE, the building commissioning Association and the AABC Commissioning Group. She has Master's and Bachelor's Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Minnesota, respectively. She helped define mainstream commissioning service and wrote a monthly column about commissioning for Engineeried Sytems magazine for 25 years.

Abstract

Capital funding of HVAC System replacement or upgrade projects is harder to come by than ever. At the same time, pressure is increasing on healthcare facility managers to reduce operating costs and improve the patient experience. Healthcare facilities are prime candidates for existing building commissioning: focused on low-cost/no-cost operational modifications, control system fine-tuning, and simple repairs to both improve system performance and save energy. The Complex and integrated nature of the healthcare ventilation, temperature, and relative humidity requirements make hospital HVAC systems more susceptible to drifting out of whack. 24/7 operations mean even small tweaks can result in significant savings. This session will present the existing building commissioning process, typical cost, and case study examples of low-cost/no-cost opportunities. Typical results are 10-10% annual energy saving with a less than 2-year simple payback period.

Fundamentals of Video Security Design

Dave Preston - Regional Sales Manager, Hanwha Vision America

Dave Preston is a Regional Sales Manager for Hanwha Vision America covering Minnesota and the Dakotas. He has worked in the security industry for over 20 years with a focus on technology solutions since 2008 and has been board certified in security management as a Certified Protection Professional through the American Society of Industrial Security. Dave’s knowledge and experience has offered him the opportunity to work on projects ranging from consulting in the Dominican Republic to implementing advanced video and laser radar systems deployed in Canada at the arctic circle. He has a passion for helping others and enjoys guiding customers through the complexities and advancements in security technology.

Abstract

Designing a video security system can be a complex and often confusing task considering the wide range of product costs and camera options available.

This presentation will help you understand the basic fundamentals of video surveillance design and how making the right design choices can increase your level of security and decrease your overall cost. Learn how the camera type, features, and placement can make a profound difference in image quality as we explore best practices and industry tips.

Facility Strategic Roadmap

Gordan "Gordy" Howie, MSPM, CHFM, CHC - President, ASHE

Gordon (Gordy) Howie is the Regional Chair - Facilities & Support Services for Mayo Clinic Health System in Northwest Wisconsin and is based out of Eau Claire. Gordy is a candidate for the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) President position. Gordy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology/Plant Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Stout and a Master of Science degree in Project Management from the University of Alaska - Anchorage. He is a Certified Healthcare Facilities Manager, Certified Healthcare Constructor, and is a Past President of the Wisconsin Healthcare Engineering Association State Board. He is an active ASHE member, currently serving as the Region 6 Advisory Board Member. He has served on the Region 6 Conference Planning Committee for the past six years and served on the Region 6 Nominating Committee. With 26 years of facilities management and leadership experience, Gordy has successfully lead teams in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard, hotel industry, and in healthcare. Before transitioning to healthcare, he served as a leader in Property Operations for Hilton Hotels in Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Anaheim, and Anchorage. Gordy spent six years as a Facilities Director for Mayo Clinic Health System and the past seven years as Regional Director of Facilities & Construction. He has responsibility for facilities maintenance, construction and project management, environmental services, emergency management, safety, and the Environment of Care for five hospitals, 12 clinics, and two outpatient dialysis clinics.

Dustin Rehkamp, AIA, ACHA - Market Sector Leader - Healthcare, LEO A DALY

As healthcare market sector leader, Dustin directs a multi-disciplinary team to create successful and effective solutions for health care clients. His experience spans various sectors with complex needs, from healthcare to recreation and corporate campuses.

Dustin has 20 years of experience working with influential healthcare organizations and is skilled at healthcare campus planning and development, project management and client relations. His leadership and technical prowess enhance each project.

Dustin is a co-chair of the MN AIA Government Affairs committee. He is the vice-chair of the ASHE Health Care Decarbonization Task Force. He is on the TCHEA executive committee, WHEA Code Committee, WHEA Sustainability Committee and part of the ASHE Equity and Diversity task force. Dustin is a certified healthcare architect with the American College of Healthcare Architects. He has a passion for mentoring the next generation and has been an ACE mentor since 2013.

Abstract

Describe your topic for review by the presentation selection committee. Explain, for example, how the problem or issue was identified; the approach used to address the problem or issue; the challenges and barriers faced; the method and/or analysis that was used; the conclusion or outcomes achieved; and recommendation(s) related to the topic.

Healthcare organizations are constantly looking at what to do with current facilities, assessing the market and creating a strategic plan. In recent years, the analysis of return on investment has become more prevalent but still largely built on historic experience driving future expectations. Traditionally, health care organizations have completed master plans in response to facility constraints and invested in new buildings to respond to growth or obsolescence. This planning has been largely facility-based and, investments were made if the organization had the money. In an attempt to create a sustainable health care delivery model and close the gap between cost and quality, Medicare has begun to reimburse hospitals based on value rather than volume. A value-based system requires that performance be improved by controlling costs and enhancing quality, safety and patient satisfaction. Meanwhile, masterplans have been moving from 15-20 years to 1-5 years. While most health care organizations have tried to be all things to all people, the future requires them to determine their role in the continuum of care. Positioning an organization to manage the health of a population, while continuing to work in a fee-for-service environment, requires thoughtful self-actualization before making 30-year investments.

Attendees will benefit from the panel’s experience in master planning, facility assessment and asset management. The panel’s combination of architect, contractor and owner-planner helps create a well-rounded discussion.

The federal government is challenging health care organizations by putting their Medicare reimbursement at risk in multiple domains: clinical (the core measures); service (HCAHPS surveys); outcomes (mortality); and efficiency measures (cost per Medicare beneficiary). Depending on performance, health care organizations may receive what they would normally expect from Medicare; or more, or less. However, master planning in this new era should be based on the best strategic intent for the institution while keeping in mind a realistic capital envelope. This process should be encompassing as it looks at market research, trends, existing facilities and future needs. It is a three-legged stool that helps healthcare organizations properly prepare for the future. Along with the masterplan, it is vital to assess the current facilities to understand if reinvestment into existing spaces is the most cost-effective approach. Through a combination of touring, interviews, and benchmark analysis, it is important to develop an assessment of existing clinical operations, space utilization and facilities support to identify challenges and opportunities at the service line level. Developing this baseline understanding will be critical to assess the ability of new and/or existing space to meet the strategic service line goals depending on program needs and required relationships with other key clinical and support areas. Establishing this baseline will also be important to outline the operational impact that new care models and future program scenarios will have on the organization.

Coupled with key findings from the facility tours, the capacity and functional assessments address both the quantitative (square footage and throughput) and qualitative (layout, flows, and adjacencies) elements that are critical to assessing operations and space. Using key room volume and space data, the develop an assessment of existing room utilization and size based on appropriate benchmarks to identify undersized or overburdened areas. The analysis will include all inpatient units and major diagnostic and tre