New York Codes, Rules and Regulations
Title 10 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Chapter V - Medical Facilities
Subchapter C - State Hospital Code
Article 2 - Medical Facility Construction
Part 712 - Standards Of Construction For General Hospital Facilities
Subpart 712-1 - Standards For General Hospital Construction Projects Approved Or Completed Prior To October 14, 1998
Section 712-1.11 - Outpatient facilities

Universal Citation: 10 NY Comp Codes Rules and Regs § 712-1.11

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 12, March 26, 2025

Where provided, hospital outpatient facilities shall be constructed to provide a safe, functional and comfortable environment for patients, visitors and staff.

(a) Outpatient service areas shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) A reception area and adjacent waiting area(s) with telephone, drinking fountain and toilet rooms for each sex. Waiting areas shall be located in close proximity to outpatient diagnostic and treatment rooms. Other departments may use waiting areas if it is not feasible for a waiting room to serve only one department.

(2) An admissions and patients' records area.

(3) Examination and treatment rooms, with lavatory. The design of such spaces shall be such as to ensure the patient's privacy and confidentiality of disclosures.

(4) Storage area for sterile supplies.

(5) Janitor's closet.

(6) Separate clean and soiled utility rooms.

(7) Stretcher and wheelchair storage space.

(b) If minor outpatient surgery is performed, the outpatient service area shall include an additional treatment room for minor surgical procedures with a minimum floor area of 120 square feet excluding such spaces as vestibule, toilet, closet and work counter (whether fixed or movable). The minimum room dimension shall be 10 linear feet. The treatment room shall include an adequately sized sink for handwashing to the elbows, with knee or foot controls, shall be located so as to prevent splashing on patients or instruments.

(c) If ambulatory surgery is performed in the outpatient serving area and shortstay surgery patients are received and processed, the following equipment and spaces shall be provided:

(1) a receiving area appropriately designed and equipped for the preoperative preparation, holding and observation of patients, including the administration of preoperative tests and medication;

(2) dressing rooms and lockers for patient belongings with adjacent toilet rooms;

(3) examining rooms designed and equipped for patient needs;

(4) a wheelchair and stretcher alcove or area, not in a line of traffic, and not part of a required exitway;

(5) appropriately equipped operating rooms;

(6) a postoperative recovery room, with at least one bed per operating room, additional recovery room beds depending on the type and typical recovery time of procedures performed, and one additional bed;

(7) one blood pressure machine shall be provided for each bed;

(8) an audible signal device for summoning additional personnel from the operating room, supervisor's office, anesthesiologist's office and nurses' workrooms or areas within the surgical suite; and

(9) oxygen and suction facilities shall be provided for each bed in the post-anesthesia recovery room.

(d) The size of service areas required for an outpatient surgical suite will depend upon the surgical workload and the location of the outpatient suite in relation to the other related hospital service areas. All of the following equipment and services shall be provided within this suite, or immediately adjacent thereto:

(1) surgical supervisor station;

(2) sterilizing facilities with high-speed autoclave;

(3) facilities for storage and preparation of medication;

(4) soiled workroom containing counter, clinical sink, waste receptacle, and soiled linen receptacles;

(5) scrub-up facilities adjacent to operating rooms;

(6) storage for sterile supplies, which may be in the clean workroom;

(7) an anesthesia workroom for cleaning and storage of equipment;

(8) storage room for anesthetic agents;

(9) nitrous oxide and oxygen facilities when such services are not piped in;

(10) clean workroom for storage and assembly of supplies with a counter and sink;

(11) equipment storage room for surgical and monitoring equipment;

(12) janitor's closet; and

(13) separate male and female clothing change areas, lockers and at least one toilet for each sex, for the use of staff personnel.

(e) Ambulatory surgery operating rooms shall be located convenient to other hospital service departments and laboratories, when not included in the outpatient surgery suite.

(f) If a general hospital's ambulatory surgery unit qualifies or is intended to qualify for Medicare certification as a free-standing ambulatory surgery service or an off-site hospital-based ambulatory surgery center, the surgery unit shall conform to Part 715 of this Title.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New York may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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