REGULATORY REVIEW
Be Ahead of the Construction Curve Use FGI’s 2018 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities BY JENNIFER BUTTERFIELD, RN, CASC
Constructing or renovat- ing a medical facility is expensive and compli- cated. Do not make the mistake of believing mov-
ing a wall is “no big deal,” and that a regular home builder is up to the task. When it comes to medical construc- tion, consult an expert and get a copy of the 2018 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities by the Facility Guidelines Institute. The Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing guidance for the planning, design and construction of hospitals, outpatient facilities, residential health care and support facilities. The institute pub- lishes a revised guideline every four years using evidence-based research, clinical practice and the rational expe- rience of a multidisciplinary team of architects, engineers, facility and plant managers, physicians, nurses, infec- tion control practitioners and industry leaders that number in the hundreds. Their goal is to provide a reference for designing a safe, effective and efficient environment of care for patients. One of the biggest changes to the
2018 edition is the breakout of the out- patient facility document into three standalone pieces; hospital guidelines, outpatient facility guidelines and resi- dent guidelines. Changes specific to the outpatient facility document include requirements for pre- and post-proce- dure patient care spaces; requirements for room types in imaging, procedure and operating rooms; and expanded guidance for designing sterile process- ing facilities to support professional practice for cleaning, decontaminating and sterilizing surgical instruments. Also included are accommodations
for care of patients of size, accom- modations for telemedicine, waiting room seating capacity and sections on mobile and transportable medical units and waste management. As explained by David Shapiro, MD, FGI board member and anesthe- siologist at Red Hills Surgical Center in Tallahassee, Florida, the forthcom- ing edition of the outpatient guide- lines is a tremendously comprehensive document, representing the contribu- tions of many, who have designed, constructed and delivered patient care in each of these types of settings. The outpatient document is specifically intended to serve as a reference point for outpatient facilities, such as ASCs, considering renovations, expansion of services and/or new construction. “I am proud to serve on the board of the FGI and look forward to advo- cating on behalf of the important con- tributions that ASCs provide to our patients,” Shapiro says. “As our ser-
vices expand in the future, these outpa- tient facility guidelines will serve as an enduring reference and will position our industry to create environments that reflect and enhance the outstand- ing medical care we provide.” In creating the 2018 guidelines, one of the many challenges the guideline committee teams had to overcome, Shapiro says, is the variety of outpa- tient facility types. “They have to keep in mind everything from simple one- operating-room facilities to complex multispecialty facilities with imaging services and extended recovery stays. They also have to think about what types of facilities might be created in the future,” he says. “Today, outpatient facilities may include minute clinics, mobile and transportable units and free-standing emergency departments. Advancements in technology and anesthesia service also required debate among industry leaders and additional research since what is inpatient today
ASC FOCUS MARCH 2018 |
www.ascfocus.org 19
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