Medical-build readiness checklist
Every item on this checklist exists because skipping it has cost a real project money. Work it top to bottom: the early sections gate the later ones, and the expensive mistakes live in the gaps between stages. Each section links to the guide that explains it.
Scope: Alberta medical facility projects: new builds, conversions, and major renovations. Items marked with a citation are regulatory steps; unmarked items are project practice. This is a planning aid, not a compliance document; your project's authorities and professionals define the binding list.
1. Service and facility type
- Clinical services are defined in writing (what procedures, what patients, what volumes)
- The facility-type question is answered: ordinary clinic, or procedures within CPSA's non-hospital surgical facility scope, which requires accreditation before opening[2]
- If insured surgical services are intended, the Acute Care Alberta contracting layer is understood
- Imaging intentions are decided, since x-ray equipment brings registration scope[8]; shielding design is coordinated with your engineer as project practice
Read: the flagship guide and the surgical facility pillar.
2. Accreditation path (surgical and designated facilities only)
- CPSA has been contacted early, before design is locked
- The medical director is identified, since they receive the standards and anchor the application[2][3]
- The facility is registered with CPSA and fee categories are budgeted
- Schedule float exists between construction completion and opening for the readiness-triggered assessment
Read: the accreditation guide.
3. Owner decisions
- One person is named as the owner's decision-maker with authority to approve changes
- The decisions only the owner can make are listed and scheduled: program, budget ceiling, site, opening date logic
- A written record system exists for decisions and approvals from day one
4. Project team
- The professional-involvement question is answered for your size and occupancy (architect/engineer thresholds)
- Every professional's registration is verified through official registries, and every contractor's WCB clearance letter is obtained before hiring and before payment release[9]
- Design responsibility for the clinical layer (IPAC, reprocessing) is explicitly assigned to a named team member
Read: the project team guide (coming to this site) and the requirements map.
5. Site
- The zone and the Health Service use status are confirmed before the lease binds, or the lease is conditional on zoning approval[5]
- The IPAC screen passed: plausible clean/soiled separation, sink reach, waiting-room capacity[7]
- Base-building questions (electrical service, outside air, plumbing, structure, delivery route) are answered with a consultant, in writing
- Accessibility of entrance, path of travel, and washrooms is assessed against conversion cost
Read: the site selection guide.
6. Capital budget
- The budget has named categories with dated assumptions and stated exclusions
- Contingency covers classification-driven unknowns, escalation, and code-edition transitions
- No per-square-foot number from a marketing source is load-bearing anywhere in the budget
Read: the costs guide.
7. Schedule
- The schedule is built on the dependency chain, not summed stage targets
- Current quarterly processing times have been pulled from the live municipal dashboards
- Long-lead equipment order dates are set by working backwards from opening
- The privacy impact assessment is scheduled at design stage, before systems are implemented[4]
Read: the timeline guide.
8. Permits
- The development permit path (including change of use, if converting) is mapped and fees are budgeted
- Building permit review is sequenced after development permit review, as the municipality requires[6]
- Trade permits and their applicants (including the master-electrician rule for commercial electrical) are arranged
- No work is scheduled before its permit is issued
Read: the Edmonton permits guide and the change-of-use guide.
9. Design
- The floor plan satisfies CPSA's IPAC expectations: exam-room sinks, clean/soiled separation, waiting capacity, medication station where dispensing[7]
- The reprocessing area is designed first, to the two-sink baseline, with one-way workflow
- The governing design regime is named in the design brief: code-mandatory items versus adopted AHS/CSA provisions
Read: the design guide and the reprocessing guide.
10. Equipment
- A room-by-room equipment schedule exists, with utility requirements from manufacturers' documents
- Radiation-emitting equipment registration through an authorized agency is in the plan[8]
- Delivery routes, rigging, and installation windows are coordinated with the construction schedule
11. Construction
- A prime contractor is designated in writing where two or more employers share the site
- If the clinic operates during construction, infection-control measures are priced explicitly in the contract
- Inspection sequencing is planned with the contractor so work never runs ahead of a required inspection
Read: the renovation guide.
12. Commissioning and occupancy
- All mandatory inspections are passed and the Occupancy Permit is issued before anyone occupies the space[10]
- Systems are demonstrated working (ventilation, sterilizer, alarms) before the clinical schedule starts
- For accredited facilities, patient-readiness is genuinely complete before CPSA is notified for assessment
13. Opening readiness
- CPSA clinic registration, the Alberta Health Billing Facility ID, and the Business Arrangement Number are in place[1]
- The privacy impact assessment has been submitted to the OIPC before health information is collected[4]
- WCB registration, the municipal business licence, and any equipment registrations are complete
- Staff are trained on the built systems, including reprocessing, before the first patient
Disclaimer: This checklist is a general planning aid for Alberta medical facility projects, current to the dates shown. It is not exhaustive, not professional advice, and not a compliance document; requirements vary by municipality, facility type, and project. Confirm each item with the relevant authority and your professional team.