CHFM key terms

A long-range planning document that matches the organization's buildings, space, and infrastructure needs to its strategic and clinical goals, typically looking five to ten years ahead and guiding capital spending.

A state regulatory approval required before certain healthcare construction projects or new services can proceed; it confirms demonstrated community need and may be tied to licensure.

A structured pre-construction review that identifies risks construction poses to patients, staff, and ongoing operations and sets controls such as utility shutdown plans, barriers, and noise limits.

A multidisciplinary process that classifies construction work by infection risk and specifies containment, traffic routing, cleaning, and monitoring measures to protect patients during building activity.

A temporary enclosure-often rigid walls, sealed openings, and negative air pressure-that prevents dust, debris, and airborne organisms from reaching patient care areas during construction.

The documented process of verifying that building systems are designed, installed, tested, and operate according to the owner's requirements before acceptance and patient occupancy.

The project stage when work is finished enough for the owner to use the space for its intended purpose, with only minor punch-list items outstanding.

A written roster of incomplete or defective work found during walkthroughs that the contractor must correct before final acceptance and final payment.

Scheduled servicing of equipment and systems based on manufacturer recommendations, code, or reliability data, intended to prevent failures rather than respond to them.

Software that stores asset records, work orders, maintenance schedules, labor, and parts so facility staff can plan, dispatch, track, and report maintenance work.

A formal request and record authorizing maintenance or repair, capturing location, problem, labor, parts, and completion details for tracking and cost allocation.

Needed repairs or replacements postponed because of budget or scheduling limits; the backlog raises failure risk, energy costs, and compliance exposure over time.

A maintained inventory of equipment and building components listing identifiers, location, age, condition, and maintenance history, used for planning replacements and budgeting.

A documented program to control waterborne pathogens such as Legionella through hazard assessment, monitoring, treatment, and response procedures for building water systems.

The part of a hospital's electrical distribution that supplies life safety, critical, and equipment branches during a utility outage, backed by generators and automatic transfer switches.

A prewritten plan telling staff how to operate when a utility or building system fails, including who to notify, workarounds, monitoring, and restoration steps.

The annual plan for day-to-day revenue and expenses such as salaries, supplies, utilities, and contracted services, used to control spending within the fiscal year.

The approved plan for major purchases, construction, and equipment replacement that are usually depreciated over several years instead of expensed in one year.

A multiyear forecast of when building systems and equipment should be replaced, with estimated costs, used to fund renewal before failures or code problems occur.

A method of comparing options by adding acquisition, operating, maintenance, and disposal costs over an asset's useful life, often converted to present value.

The current value of a project's future cash inflows and outflows after discounting them at a chosen rate; a positive result suggests the investment adds value.

A ratio that compares the financial benefit or savings an investment produces with its cost, used to rank competing facility projects.

Comparing actual financial results with the budget and explaining differences caused by volume, price, or spending so managers can take corrective action.

The systematic allocation of an asset's cost as an expense over its useful life; it shapes replacement planning but is not a cash payment.

The Joint Commission framework of standards covering safety, security, hazardous materials, fire safety, medical equipment, utilities, and construction to keep the care environment safe.

Federal requirements hospitals must meet to participate in Medicare and Medicaid; CMS surveys compliance, and serious deficiencies can threaten payment and licensure.

A model life safety code adopted in whole or part by authorities, setting requirements for egress, fire barriers, sprinklers, and construction features that protect occupants in healthcare buildings.

A model code with risk-based requirements for medical gas, electrical, HVAC, and other systems in healthcare facilities, including testing and maintenance obligations.

A Joint Commission tool where an organization records its Life Safety Code compliance and documents any deficiencies with plans for improvement and target completion dates.

A written response to survey findings stating what will be fixed, who is responsible, when it will be done, and how recurrence will be prevented.

An onsite evaluation by an accrediting body such as The Joint Commission to judge whether standards are met; results can support Medicare deemed status.

A local government document confirming that a building complies with applicable codes and may legally be occupied; new healthcare space needs it before patient use.

A structured assessment ranking natural, technological, and human-caused hazards by probability and impact so emergency planning can focus on the greatest risks.

The organization's written all-hazards plan describing roles, communication, resources, and response actions for emergencies, including evacuation, sheltering, and continuity of care.

A standardized command structure with defined roles-incident commander, operations, planning, logistics, and finance-used to coordinate emergency response across departments and agencies.

Temporary compensating actions such as extra fire patrols, signage, extinguishers, or staff training required when construction or a deficiency weakens normal fire protection.

A healthcare fire strategy that keeps patients in their rooms or smoke compartments and moves them only when necessary, relying on fire barriers and staff response.

A proactive team method that lists how a process could fail, estimates severity and likelihood, and targets the highest-risk steps before harm occurs.

A structured review after a serious event that traces contributing factors and system weaknesses to identify changes that reduce the chance of recurrence.

Scheduled generator and transfer-switch tests, including monthly and annual load tests, that verify backup power will perform under real demand and meet code.