Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Space Planning Criteria 7610-(270)
Washington, DC 20420
September 2006
1
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
This document provides VA Space Planning Criteria for Chapter 270: Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation Service. It applies to all medical facilities at the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA).
2
DEFINITIONS
A. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Area: A treatment area where a modified home
environment is created to evaluate and retrain patients. This area includes a kitchen,
bathroom, living and bedroom settings, and laundry.
B. Affiliated: An arrangement whereby a school of medicine agrees to partially staff a VA
facility with faculty physicians, residents and interns. In return, the VA provides the
medical school with a venue to train new physicians. In this arrangement, the VA
retains responsibility for the care of its patients while the school of medicine retains
responsibility for all graduate level education and training.
C. Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation: A program that involves medical evaluation,
prescribed exercise, education, and counseling of patients with cardiac disease in
order to reverse the limitations caused by cardiac events. This program requires VHA
approval and space for this function is determined on an individual project basis.
D. Clinic Stop: A clinic stop is one encounter of a patient with a healthcare provider.
Per these criteria, the clinic stop is the workload unit of measure for space planning.
One individual patient can have multiple clinic stops in a single visit or in one day.
E. Compensated Work Therapy: This program provides therapeutic sheltered workshop
environments where veterans are paid on a piece-rate basis (based on the current
federal hourly minimum wage) for work performed on contracts negotiated with
private businesses. Patients work in a realistic, non-institutional working environment
to further develop work tolerances and prevocational skills while promoting effective
work habits and social skills. Patients work in this therapy for up to 6.5 hours daily.
F. Concept of Operations: A user-developed guide to the functional operation of the VA
healthcare facility. It defines the function of the facility and the scope of medical
services to be provided in the new or remodeled space.
G. Driver Training: This program provides disabled veterans instruction, practice, and
evaluation of the special adaptive equipment needed to independently operate a
motor vehicle.
H. Educational Therapy: Treatment using activities designed to improve the educational
skills of the patient.
I.
EMG: An acronym for Electromyogram. This is a test to evaluate nerve and muscle
function.
J. Full-Time Equivalent (FTE): A staffing parameter equal to the amount of time
assigned to one full time employee. It may be composed of several part-time
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (Chapter 270): Page 270-2 of 24
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