In a plenary session on Tuesday, March 6 at the 2012 ASHE PDC Summit in Phoenix, Arizona, the Chairman of the Health Guidelines Revision Committee Douglas S. Erickson, FASHE, CHFM, HFDP, CHC, provided a sneak preview on changes to expect in the forthcoming 2014 FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities. The Guidelines are currently in the process of being revised, and a final version will be available on January 1, 2014. The Guidelines have received a total of 2,525 public proposals to date, and the Health Guidelines Revision Committee has identified 1,993 of those that need action. An initial draft manuscript will be made available on June 1, 2012, with the Comment period extending from June 1 to November 25, 2012.

Erickson made it clear that the Committee wants to use research to create the Guidelines, rather than resorting to the "auctions" used in the past. Erickson also explained that the new Guidelines are "not trying to reinvent the wheel," but he did outline some of the changes and potential changes that will be forthcoming in 2014. One major change is the addition of a Cost-Benefit Analysis Committee, including more than 50 experts in the field that will look at both initial costs and life-cycle costs of the Guidelines. Among the other proposed major changes were new chapters on children's hospitals and critical access hospitals, the movement of explanatory material out of Chapter 1.1, and a separate white paper or Guideline to address furniture specifications and recommendations.

Erickson went on to explain many proposed changes to parts 1, 2, and 3 of the Guidelines, including: a new Patient Immobility Risk Assesment, commissioning, acoustics assessment/location in Part 1; Patient/Family-Centered Care as the standard room model but not the "base" msodel, a change in the bariatric range from 600 to 800 pounds, and the potential inclusion of a nap room for staff in any areas that provide 24-hour care in Part 2; and a change in the classification of operating rooms, deleting Chapter 3.8 on office-based surgery, and clarifying the distinctions between exam rooms and treatment rooms in Part 3.

In addition, it was announced that the Guidelines for Long-term Residential Health, Care, Support, and Related Facilities would be split out from the rest of the Guidelines in an effort to highlight the differences between acute and residential care. The environments covered by this Guideline would include nursing homes, independent living facilities, adult day care, hospice, and other long-term care environments.

For more information on the Guidelines and to review and comment on the Guidelines draft (after June 1, 2012), visit  www.fgiguidelines.org.