BONUS: Between the Lines – with ASHE

Bonus episode is out!
Recorded this week from HCFIC in Anaheim, CA

In this bonus episode (recorded at the Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference in Anaheim, California on July 21, 2024), hosts John Williams and Bridget McDougall sit down with Leah Hummel, senior associate director of the American Society for Health Care Engineering’s (ASHE) advocacy team, to discuss the importance of reviewing and commenting on the 2026 draft FGI Facility Code documents. Leah and John touch on the presentations they’re giving at the conference, and Leah talks about the one thing she’s always stressing to ASHE members regarding FGI and the code documents. NOTE: Look for the first episode of Season 2 (released Friday, August 2, to hear an overview of the changes in the 2026 draft!)   

About Leah Hummel 

Leah Hummel, AIA, CHFM, CHC, is a senior associate director of the American Society for Health Care Engineering’s (ASHE) advocacy team where she represents ASHE members’ interests through involvement of several code committees applicable to health care facilities. Her career, spanning more than two decades, has been dedicated to health care environments, with a passion for code development and compliance. Leah previously worked for the North Dakota Department of Health Division of Life Safety and Construction as a plan reviewer and construction inspector and also for The Joint Commission, first as a Life Safety Code surveyor and later as an engineer with the Standards Interpretation Group. 

 

About John Williams 

John first began using the Guidelines in the 1990s starting with the purple-covered 1992-93 edition and has been a devoted student of the Guidelines ever since. An AHJ and self-admitted “code nerd,” John’s office full of old (and new) code books points to his long-term interest in code development. John loves to talk about health care codes and is honored to contribute as FGI’s VP of content and outreach and chair of the 2026 Health Guidelines Revision Committee. He lives in Olympia, Washington with his wife and two sons.  

 

 

About Bridget McDougall 

Bridget, a middle school teacher for most of her career, packed up her beloved classroom in 2019 and joined the world of FGI, having found a passion for the work of the Health Guidelines Revision Committee. Bridget has been honored to assist the Outpatient document group of this committee helping to bring the 2022 edition of the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities to life. She is currently working on the 2026 edition. Bridget lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her husband and Michael Jackson-loving son. 

 

 

Acronyms Mentioned 

ASHE: The American Society for Health Care Engineering

ASHRAE: The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers 

CMS: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 

FGI: Facility Guidelines Institute 

NFPA: National Fire Protection Association 

PDC: Planning, design, and commissioning 

PDCMO: Planning, design, and commissioning + maintenance and operations 

 

Mentioned in this episode

Comment period: July 1-September 30th, public comment is welcomed on the 2026 draft FGI Facility Code documents. Visit www.fgiguidelines.net. 

The Joint Commission: An independent, not-for-profit group in the United States that administers voluntary accreditation programs for hospitals and other healthcare organizations. The commission develops performance standards that address crucial elements of operation, such as patient care, medication safety, infection control and consumer rights.  

Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference: Previously the “ASHE Annual Conference.” This year’s conference was held in Anaheim, California from July 21-24, 2024. 

 

AIA self-reporting LUs

Facility Guidelines Institute is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number 38744124. All registered AIA CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider or this learning program may be sent to AIA CES (cessupport@aia.org). 

This learning program may be self-reported for LU credit through the AIA Continuing Education System. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA. 

To receive AIA self-reported LUs, learners must complete and self-report two of these entire learning programs for 1 LU. 

 

Sponsored by

American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE): Optimizing health care facilities

 

 

 

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