This is the first edition of the Guidelines in which requirements for outpatient facilities are presented independently from hospital and residential care facility requirements. Facility types covered in the 2018 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities include general and specialty medical services facilities, outpatient imaging facilities, birth centers, urgent care centers, infusion centers, outpatient surgery facilities, freestanding emergency care facilities, endoscopy facilities, renal dialysis centers, outpatient psychiatric centers, outpatient rehabilitation therapy facilities, mobile/transportable medical units, and dental facilities.

Changes in the 2018 Outpatient Guidelines provide guidance on two approaches for applying the Guidelines requirements to outpatient facility projects; a new section on accommodations for care of patients of size; a classification system for imaging rooms; and expanded laboratory, new pharmacy, and revised sterile processing facility requirements.

As with the previous two editions, ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170: Ventilation of Health Care Facilities was incorporated into the Guidelines to provide ventilation requirements for health care facilities. The 2018 edition of the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals includes the 2017 edition of ASHRAE 170, with all addenda approved through November 2017.

Facility types covered in the Outpatient Guidelines include general and specialty medical services facilities, outpatient imaging facilities, birth centers, urgent care centers, infusion centers, outpatient surgery facilities, freestanding emergency care facilities, endoscopy facilities, renal dialysis centers, outpatient behavioral and mental health centers, outpatient rehabilitation facilities, mobile/transportable medical units, and dental facilities.

The 2022 Outpatient Guidelines includes several notable new sections as well as revisions aimed at providing flexibility, reducing cost, and clarifying intent. New sections were written for a behavioral and mental health crisis unit, low-acuity patient treatment station (intended for “walking well” patients), sexual assault forensic exam room, and hyperbaric oxygen treatment facilities. New flexible design options include a provision allowing subdivision of trauma/resuscitation rooms as well as design guidance for a flexible secure holding room (i.e., a single-patient treatment room that can easily be converted to a secure holding room). Major updates appear in requirements for mobile units, imaging facilities, renal dialysis centers, and birth centers.

As with the last three editions, ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170: Ventilation of Health Care Facilities has been incorporated into the Guidelines as minimum requirements for ventilation systems. Included in the 2022 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities is the 2021 edition of Standard 170 dated November 2021, which incorporates addenda c and d. Two new ventilation tables with design parameters specific to outpatient facilities have been added.