The theme of this year’s Texas Association of Healthcare Facilities Management (TAHFM) conference was “Onward and Upward”.  We saw and heard plenty about this through a variety of sessions over the three-day conference.  Below are a few themes that came from the sessions as well as discussions with attendees.

Supply Chain & Logistics
The design and construction industry is facing a myriad of challenges tied to supply chain and logistics.  In healthcare, we are seeing long lead times for major equipment as well as items used regularly like paint, doors/frames and roofing.  As health systems have tried to standardize many of these items for familiarity with staff, they are now having to switch products due to lead time and availability.  Beyond materials and equipment, there is a skilled labor shortage, specifically in Texas, that is impacting other markets (mission critical, pharma, large workplace projects) as well.  There are also impacts to other areas in the supply chain and logistics, such as a lack of transportation (drivers), that are causing further challenges to delivery times, locations, etc.  All these items have placed an increased focus on schedule and cost for projects as well as challenging other avenues for products, materials or other ways to do things that have not been done before.

Delivery Methods
While we are already seeing a shift from traditional delivery methods like design-bid-build, the supply chain and logistics issues have continued to push owners, design teams and construction managers to continue to focus on other delivery methods. These methods include design-building, design-assist and integrated project delivery (IPD).  Even within these methods, we are seeing a huge push towards pre-fabrication and pre-packing of equipment skids, restroom pods, exterior curtain walls and many other items.

Another concept gaining traction is Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), which creates a kit of parts for design that can be prefabricated for many project types driving scale for owners.  Utilizing pre-fabrication and DfMA is not only saving time and money, it also allows items to be constructed offsite in a controlled environment.  These approaches can also assist with some of the skilled labor issues on-site. Having trusted design and construction partners is important in this process and can play a role in heling with the challenges that currently exist. You can read more about Henderson’s experience in DfMA by reading the following series of articles on the topic:

• Introduction to DfMA: Design for Manufacturing and Assembly
• Implementing DfMA: Design for Manufacturing and Assembly
• How DfMA Improves Project Installations
• DfMA: How it all Comes Together

Compliance
While there are many other challenges occurring in the healthcare industry, regulatory compliance remains a very important topic.  There were several sessions dedicated to compliance including life safety, space pressurization, inspection, testing and maintenance documentation, processes and new codes/standards.  Many of these sessions highlighted current hot topics as well as items that continue to be at the forefront of compliance with the accreditation agencies.  Other sessions focused more on upcoming changes tied to the upcoming Facilities Guidelines Institute (FGI) 2022 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals.  Additionally, the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) has some major changes coming later in 2022 to the healthcare regulations.