Ambulatory Care Occupancy or Business- What’s the Difference?

According to the Life Safety Code, all Los Angeles healthcare and ambulatory care providers must comply with fire safety standards in construction as defined for their specific occupancy classification. So if you run a chronic pain center in Beverly Hills, you may be required to follow guidelines for ambulatory care occupancy, healthcare occupancy, or none of the above.

Do you know your occupancy type?

In an effort to help medical facilities ease into the new 2012 Life Safety Code, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released waivers allowing for certain leniencies. In the fire safety ordinance, the NFPA addresses the issue of occupancies, which are defined as “the purpose for which a building or portion thereof is used or intended to be used.” To minimize fire hazards and insure complete fire safety, all medical facilities are required to maintain certain structural guidelines that differ according to occupancy type.

Ambulatory Care Occupancy

According to NFPA 101 Section 3.3.134.1 an “ambulatory health care occupancy” is any outpatient-type medical facility that treats at least four patients at one time and provides anesthesia or other treatments that leaves the patient unable to care for himself without assistance in an emergency situation. Also read: Strategies for Ambulatory Surgery Centers in 2014: Think Forward!

 Business Occupancy

If you run a dentist office that (1) keeps track of records, billing, and business transactions and (2) is not classified as an ambulatory care center, then you are required to follow business occupancy fire safety codes. Surprisingly, business occupancy coding can be designated to outpatient clinics, ambulatory care centers, dentist offices, doctor’s offices, or even birthing centers under the 3.3.134.3 NFPA ruling.

Day Care Occupancy

If you provide elderly care for at least 4 patients for less than 24 hours per day, then your healthcare center may be considered a day care, according to Life Safety Code 3.3.134.4.

Health Care Occupancy

As stated in NFPA 101 Section 3.3.134.7, a health care occupancy is any medical facility or other treatment center that cares for at least 4 individuals where the patients are unable to care for their own well-being, due to old age or poor mental or physical health. This rule may apply to nursing homes, hospitals, ambulatory care centers, or other healthcare centers.

Residential Occupancy

A residential occupancy is defined as any structure that provides room and board but isn’t a hospital or prison.

Residential Board and Care Occupancy

Similar to a residential occupancy, the residential board and care occupancy may apply to facilities that provide a certain level of medical care. Under Section 3.3.134.13, these include dwellings for the physically or mentally ill, assisted living homes, elderly care centers that don’t provide nursing care, and rehabilitation centers for alcohol, drug abuse, or mental illness. Please tell us… Have you been ordered to convert from a business occupancy model to an ambulatory care occupancy model? What kind of structural changes have you made to comply with the Life Safety Code? Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Please leave your comments below. Share with your friends! If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook. Like this? Read more: Medicare Compliance Auditing in the Los Angeles Area Medical Construction: Building Anew Remodeling your Medical Office without Losing Patients- 5 Helpful Tips Image courtesy of artur84/freedigitalphotos