Suites in health care, kept simple
Everyone seems to have their own definition of a suite. Here is what the code actually allows, and the numbers CMS still enforces.
I will be the first to admit that suites in health care can be confusing for me. It seems like a lot of times people have their own definition of a suite, or of how one can be treated.
When something is in question, or I just happen to think about it walking through a facility, I like to read a few articles and go back to the code book.
NFPA has a short article on the basics of suites that is a good read and keeps it simple, which is what I like.
A suite is a group of rooms that is allowed to stand in for the corridor — but only if it meets the suite rules: separation, staff supervision, a size limit and a travel limit.
What the code says
Why suites exist
Normally every patient room needs a door straight onto an exit access corridor. A suite is the code’s permission to group rooms behind one corridor-rated enclosure instead (NFPA 101, 2012, 18/19.2.5.7.1.1). Rooms inside the suite then do not need their own door to the corridor.
The outside of the suite is the corridor wall
The suite is separated from the rest of the building and from other suites by walls and doors that meet the corridor requirements (19.2.5.7.1.2 — existing buildings may also use existing approved barriers that limit smoke). Walls that subdivide the inside of a suite do not have to be fire rated.
Sleeping suites need someone watching
A sleeping suite for patient care needs constant staff supervision inside the suite, and occupants need exit access to a corridor or horizontal exit directly from the suite.
The size limits (2012 edition)
| New (Ch 18) | Existing (Ch 19) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeping suite | 7,500 ft²; up to 10,000 ft² with direct visual supervision and complete smoke detection | 5,000 ft²; 7,500 ft² with supervised sprinklers and detection; up to 10,000 ft² with added conditions |
| Non-sleeping suite | 10,000 ft² | 10,000 ft² |
Sections 18/19.2.5.7.2.3 and 18/19.2.5.7.3.3. New non-sleeping suites also limit travel to 100 ft to the suite door and 200 ft to an exit (18.2.5.7.3.4).
Which edition?
Later editions of NFPA 101 allow larger suites. CMS and The Joint Commission still survey hospitals against the 2012 edition, so a certified hospital is held to the numbers above even where the state has adopted a newer book.
Practice drill: check it on your next round
- Is the suite drawn on the life safety plan, with its boundary and square footage?
- Are the suite’s outer doors treated like corridor doors — closing, latching, no wedges?
- In a sleeping suite, can staff see the patients (or is there a monitoring setup the suite relies on)?
- Has a renovation quietly grown the suite past its size limit?
Sources and further reading
- NFPA — Basics of Suites in Health Care Occupancies (2021) ↗· shared by Donald
- NFPA 101 (2012) — 18.2.5.7 and 19.2.5.7, Suites
Section numbers are from NFPA 80 (2013) and NFPA 101 (2012), the editions CMS and The Joint Commission enforce for hospitals. Check the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.