Reference
News
Short, balanced summaries of developments that meaningfully change how hospital rooms are built, staffed, or run. Every entry states what changed, the primary source, and why it matters at the level of a single room. No sensationalism, no vendor announcements.
2026
- Design
Facility Guidelines Institute
Aug 31, 2026
FGI releases the 2026 FGI Codes and Handbooks
The Facility Guidelines Institute published the 2026 FGI Code for Planning and Design of Hospitals, formerly the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals, alongside codes for outpatient and residential settings. Enforceable minimum requirements now sit in the Codes, while explanatory material moves to separate subscription Handbooks.
Why it matters
Most US states adopt FGI by reference, each on its own timeline. Georgia, for example, began enforcing the 2026 hospital code on August 31, 2026; other states are still on the 2018 or 2022 editions. Which edition governs a given room depends on the jurisdiction and the project submission date. - Standards
ONC Standards Bulletin 2026-2
Jul 23, 2026
ONC releases USCDI v7 with 30 new data elements
Version 7 of the United States Core Data for Interoperability adds 30 new data elements and one significantly revised element, Tobacco and Nicotine Product Use. ONC says 15 of the 31 are already represented in implementation specifications required by its Health IT Certification Program. Additions include Medication Administration, Device Type, Medical Device Order, Diagnostic Imaging Reference, Nutrition Assessment, and Nutrition Order. ONC is targeting a draft of v8 in January 2027.
Why it matters
USCDI sets the floor of data that certified health IT is expected to exchange. Elements such as Medication Administration and Device Type sit closer to bedside events than earlier versions did, but a USCDI version only becomes a certification requirement when ONC adopts it through rulemaking or its Standards Version Advancement Process. - Regulation
FDA / CDRH
Feb 3, 2026
FDA issues updated final guidance on cybersecurity in device premarket submissions
The final guidance, Cybersecurity in Medical Devices: Quality Management System Considerations and Content of Premarket Submissions, supersedes the version issued June 27, 2025. It covers secure product development frameworks, threat modeling, cybersecurity testing and labeling, software bills of materials, and FDA's recommendations for cyber devices under section 524B of the FD&C Act. It applies to devices that contain software or programmable logic whether or not they are network-connected.
Why it matters
Connected pumps, monitors, and beds inherit these expectations at procurement. The documentation a manufacturer prepares for FDA, including the SBOM, is what a hospital security team can ask to see before a device joins the clinical network. - Regulation
The Joint Commission
Jan 1, 2026
Joint Commission National Performance Goals take effect, including clinical alarm safety
Effective January 2026, the Joint Commission hospital program organizes core safety requirements as National Performance Goals. Clinical alarm safety, long a National Patient Safety Goal, appears as NPG.01.05.01: hospitals identify the most important alarm signals to manage, then document policies covering clinically appropriate settings, when alarms can be disabled or parameters changed, who may set, change, or turn off parameters, monitoring and response, and checks of individual alarm signals for accurate settings, proper operation, and detectability.
Why it matters
Accreditation language is what makes a hospital keep an alarm inventory and documented default settings for each room's monitors, pumps, and beds, the same ground the actionable alarm-path framework covers.
Editorial note: every entry links to its primary source and is dated by the publisher's release or effective date. We do not republish vendor press releases, and we do not rank products. Correction, 9 Nov 2026: an audit against primary sources withdrew earlier entries that could not be traced to a primary source and corrected dates on the rest.