THE NEXT STEP OF HEALTHCARE REFORM The Hospital-Acquired Conditions Reduction Program, mandated by the Affordable Care Act, became effective in October, and it's important for designers to understand the built environment's role in helping providers answer this next reform challenge By Eileen B. Malone and Ellen Taylor THE PACE OF healthcare reform over the past few years has been relentless, with plenty of new information and government programs that the design community has had to understand in order to better serve providers and patients. And now there's another new federal healthcare initiative to consider: the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, a reimbursement initiative that went into effect on Oct. 1 and is tied to quality outcomes and mandated by the Affordable Care Act. In order for the healthcare design community to better navigate this next reform hurdle and offer tools that will help providers be successful, it's important to understand hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) and the legislation and regulations designed to reduce them. 94 HCDmagazine.com 11.14http://www.HCDmagazine.com