This piece was originally published in the July/August 2020 issue of electroindustry.

by Marc Neufcourt, Industry Director, NEMA

The healthcare industry is facing accelerating changes driven by a perfect storm of new technology adoption, consumer demographics, and regulation. To top it off, the industry is at the forefront of a global pandemic, with COVID-19 pushing to the limit its staff, infrastructures, and operations.

There is little doubt that the current crisis will only accentuate trends that are reshaping the industry such as telehealth adoption, the rise of robotics, and the growing use of data and artificial intelligence. As healthcare facilities evolve in the process, NEMA has an important role to play in driving change and assisting the healthcare industry in its transition.

However, to provide assistance that is both effective and impactful, we need to better understand the unmet needs of our customers, the details of the transformation they are  going through, the problems they face in the field, and how we can best assist while limiting operational disruptions.

As a result, NEMA has launched the Healthcare Facilities Council to address the unique and specialized unmet needs in the U.S. healthcare facilities market. The Council will:

• establish a forum for professionals from different trades to share knowledge and best practices in the area of healthcare facilities
• create a better understanding of healthcare facility trends, codes and Standards gaps, government policies, and other opportunities to support Council Members’ businesses
• provide an avenue for Council Members to initiate projects to bridge those gaps for the betterment of the healthcare, electrical, and medical imaging industries

As a result, the Healthcare Facilities Council will increase business opportunities for NEMA Members and help improve healthcare facilities by:

• attracting and retaining Council Members with expertise across industries and trades to identify issues encountered in the building, maintenance, and retrofit of healthcare facilities
• engaging Council Members to identify technological, technical, legislative, and regulatory solutions to address those issues
• leveraging NEMA staff and resources to initiate and execute projects that will help deliver such solutions

For more information about the Healthcare Facilities Council and its planned activities, email Marc Neufcourt, Industry Director, NEMA Building Systems Division, atmarc.neufcourt@nema.org. ei