Public Proposal Period Opens for 2026 FGI Guidelines
ST. LOUIS – Attention users of the Facility Guidelines Institute’s (FGI) Guidelines for Design and Construction documents: the time to propose revisions to the 2022 Guidelines documents is here!
The proposal period for the 2026 FGI Guidelines revision cycle begins today, Wednesday, February 1, 2023, and ends Friday, June 30, 2023. The proposal period is your one and only opportunity to recommend changes to the 2022 Guidelines.
During the proposal period, FGI encourages all users of the Guidelines documents to suggest where Guidelines language could be improved for clarity, outdated requirements should be removed, or new types of facilities should be added. Proposals should support clinical practices, infection prevention measures, and minimum design requirements for additional and evolving care spaces to advance safe and effective patient and resident health care.
The FGI proposal site will be accessible at https://www.fgiguidelines.net. The proposal period is open to all users of the Guidelines documents, and all submitted proposals will be available for public review. Interested parties may submit opinions supporting or opposing proposals until the end of the proposal period.
Once the proposal period has closed, proposals and opinions will be reviewed and voted on by the 2026 Health Guidelines Revision Committee (HGRC). Proposals approved by the HGRC will be incorporated into the draft 2026 Guidelines for hospitals; outpatient facilities; and residential health, care, and support facilities, to be released for public review and comment next summer.
“The proposal process is the most effective way for the public to contribute to revising the Guidelines documents because this is the point where any new idea can be considered,” says John Williams, chair of the 2026 HGRC. “This is a window of time that relatively few people outside of the revision committee take advantage of, with results that can have a significant impact on public health and safety.”
It is critical that industry participants act now to propose updates to the 2022 Guidelines documents. Next year during the comment period, new proposals will not be considered. The HGRC will review suggestions submitted only on the approved changes that result from this proposal period.
Public participation in the revision process is vital to keep the FGI Guidelines current with practices in the field. FGI urges all those involved in planning, design, and construction of health and residential care facilities to take advantage of this opportunity to contribute to the development of the 2026 Guidelines documents.
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About the Facility Guidelines Institute
Founded in 1998, the Facility Guidelines Institute is a not-for-profit corporation founded to provide leadership and continuity to the Guidelines revision process. FGI functions as the coordinating entity for development of the Guidelines series of documents using a multidisciplinary, consensus-based process and for provision of ancillary services that encourage and improve their application and use. FGI invests revenue derived from sales of the Guidelines to fund research and the activities of the next revision cycle.
About the FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction Documents
The FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction documents are updated every four years to keep pace with new concepts, capabilities, and technologies in the delivery of health care. The Guidelines documents are used by states, through adoption by reference, to regulate health and residential care facility design and construction. The Guidelines documents are protected by copyright and available exclusively at https://shop.fgiguidelines.org.
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