President’s Message - March 2026

Evelyn Dougherty • April 1, 2026

Joe Saldivar, Jr., MiSHE President

Dear MiSHE Members and friends,

 

As we wrap up the first quarter of 2026, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank all our members and sponsors for making this such an exciting and successful start to the year. Your continued engagement, support, and commitment to our mission are what make MiSHE such a strong and impactful organization. 


With Spring now upon us, it brings a renewed sense of energy and opportunity. I am looking forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events as we continue to connect, learn, and grow together. 


This June, our Executive Board will be heading to Crystal Mountain for our annual strategic planning retreat. This is always a valuable time for us to reflect, collaborate, and ensure we are positioning MiSHE for continued success while delivering meaningful value to our members. 

We have a great lineup of events and opportunities ahead. From our popular golf outings to our ongoing monthly webinars, there are plenty of ways to stay engaged. In addition, we are excited to once again offer a CHFM preparation course this November, supporting the continued professional growth and development of our members. 


I would also like to welcome Chip Amoe as our new Sustainability Liaison. Chip brings a wealth of experience and insight to this important role, and his leadership will help strengthen MiSHE’s focus on sustainability initiatives an area that continues to grow in importance within healthcare facilities. 

I am also proud to share that we have nominated Greg Cole for the American Society for Health Care Engineering Emerging Leader Award. Greg’s dedication and contributions to our field truly represent the future of healthcare engineering leadership. 


Additionally, I’d like to recognize several of our board members (Pier-George Zanoni and Matt Hoekzema) who attended the Ruben Garcia Taco Cook-Off in Houston, Texas on Sunday, March 8. This event brought people together to raise funds in support of the Ruben Garcia Legacy Foundation, helping to provide for his family’s future. It was a great example of the strength of our community and our commitment to supporting one another beyond the workplace. 


We also want to wish SMSHE continued success. We value our partnership and look forward to working together on future events that will only strengthen our organizations and provide even greater value to our members. Congratulations as well to Jim Krzywiecki on his new role as President of SMSHE. We look forward to working together and continuing to build on the strong collaboration between our organizations.


Looking ahead, our Annual Conference will take place September 23–25 at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. This is always a highlight of the year, and we are excited to bring everyone together again for education, networking, and collaboration in a great setting.


Thank you again for your continued support of MiSHE. I look forward to seeing all that we accomplish together in the months ahead.

 

Sincerely,

Joe Saldivar, Jr. MSA, CHFM, CHSP, SASHE 

MiSHE President 

ASHRAE 170 2025 Edition Ventilation rqmnt changes

October 15, 2026
The memo specifies the roles of state and federal agencies versus accrediting organizations when facilities temporarily lose their Medicare-deemed status May 4, 2026 | Leah Hummel On March 25, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued revised memo QSO-18-12-Deemed Providers/Suppliers to clarify the roles of accrediting organizations (AOs) and state survey agencies (SAs) when a provider’s or supplier’s Medicare-deemed status is temporarily removed due to condition-level noncompliance. CMS may temporarily remove deemed status when an SA or federal survey team identifies condition-level deficiencies. When this occurs, the CMS location formally notifies the organization and places it under the jurisdiction of the state survey agency, rather than the AO. The revised memo reinforces that accrediting organizations must suspend or postpone Medicare deeming recertification surveys while deemed status is removed. Importantly, CMS clarifies that if a provider’s regular 36-month accreditation cycle lapses during this period, the AO will not be cited as late or noncompliant for missing the survey. CMS also notes that while non-deeming accreditation surveys are not prohibited during state oversight, CMS recommends postponing these activities to avoid confusion or duplication while the organization works toward regaining compliance. The revised guidance also provides additional clarification on complaint investigations, emphasizing the need for coordination between SAs and AOs. During temporary removal of deemed status, the SA maintains primary responsibility for investigating complaints, while keeping the AO appropriately informed. Why this matters for facilities For hospitals and health systems, including facilities and physical environment leaders, the memo underscores the importance of understanding who has regulatory authority during periods of noncompliance. While temporary loss of deemed status due to a state survey agency or federal team survey does shift oversight of follow-up activities it does not penalize organizations or their AOs for unavoidable survey delays while corrective actions are underway. Leah Hummel, AIA, CHFM, SASHE, CHC, CHOP, is senior associate director of ASHE Regulatory Affairs 

CMS Clarifies Oversight

October 15, 2026
In the June 3, 2026 article by Matthew Daniel in Health Facilities Management, entitled Are Joint Commission environment of care management plans still required?, Matt explains many good reasons why facilities should consider keeping their management plans even though since January 2026, they are no longer required (except for ambulatory care). He explains that “while the formatting of its standards would change, JC made it clear that the requirements themselves would not and that hospitals and CAHs should not make changes to their existing programs since they are still held to CMS’s requirements.” “In its January 2026 issue of Environment of Care News, JC stated that hospitals and CAHs are no longer required to have environment of care management plans for each of the … physical environment areas. The newsletter stated that “except for ambulatory care organizations, Joint Commission no longer requires a written management plan or separate plans addressing each of the physical environment functional areas: safety, security, hazardous materials and waste, utilities, and medical equipment.” JC further clarified that the only management plans that will be evaluated during a survey will be the organization’s fire response plan, water management plan and emergency operations plan.” Mr. Daniel gives many good reasons for keeping elements of the management plans including the fact that “ the management plans are used by organizations to not only provide a roadmap to all of the required aspects of the standards for each respective plan but also to ensure that any supporting policies or procedures also are incorporated into the program — whether it’s an internal policy or procedure or a requirement of the accreditation process.” He concludes his article by stating, “While the requirement for environment of care management plans is not contained in JC’s new Physical Environment Chapter for hospitals and CAHs, the foundation of organizational compliance within the physical environment is still required, and continuing the process of evaluating and updating these management plans provides a path to help ensure continuous compliance.”  For a copy of the full article see Matthew Daniel . Matthew Daniel, CHSP, is a senior consultant at Daniel Consulting LTD. He can be reached at matthew.daniel@danielconsulting.net.

Keeping EoC Mgt Plans

October 15, 2026
In the June 3, 2026 article by Matthew Daniel in Health Facilities Management, entitled Are Joint Commission environment of care management plans still required?, Matt explains many good reasons why facilities should consider keeping their management plans even though since January 2026, they are no longer required (except for ambulatory care). He explains that “while the formatting of its standards would change, JC made it clear that the requirements themselves would not and that hospitals and CAHs should not make changes to their existing programs since they are still held to CMS’s requirements.” “In its January 2026 issue of Environment of Care News, JC stated that hospitals and CAHs are no longer required to have environment of care management plans for each of the … physical environment areas. The newsletter stated that “except for ambulatory care organizations, Joint Commission no longer requires a written management plan or separate plans addressing each of the physical environment functional areas: safety, security, hazardous materials and waste, utilities, and medical equipment.” JC further clarified that the only management plans that will be evaluated during a survey will be the organization’s fire response plan, water management plan and emergency operations plan.” Mr. Daniel gives many good reasons for keeping elements of the management plans including the fact that “ the management plans are used by organizations to not only provide a roadmap to all of the required aspects of the standards for each respective plan but also to ensure that any supporting policies or procedures also are incorporated into the program — whether it’s an internal policy or procedure or a requirement of the accreditation process.” He concludes his article by stating, “While the requirement for environment of care management plans is not contained in JC’s new Physical Environment Chapter for hospitals and CAHs, the foundation of organizational compliance within the physical environment is still required, and continuing the process of evaluating and updating these management plans provides a path to help ensure continuous compliance.”  For a copy of the full article see Matthew Daniel . Matthew Daniel, CHSP, is a senior consultant at Daniel Consulting LTD. He can be reached at matthew.daniel@danielconsulting.net.