HB 2337

Bill Subjects

Administration Of Government Health Study Commissions, Committees And Reports

Abstract

Creates a two-phase process to sunset certificate of public need (COPN) requirements for many categories of medical care facilities and projects, with the requirement for a certificate of public need (i) for all medical care facilities other than nursing homes, rehabilitation hospitals and beds, imaging centers, organ or tissue transplant services, certain open heart surgery services, certain neonatal services, and certain medical care facilities located in a locality with a population density of at least 200 people per square mile as reported by the United States Bureau of the Census in the 2010 census report that  is contiguous with at least one other locality with such population density, or has a population of at least 75,000 people repealed effective July 1, 2017, and (ii) imaging centers repealed effective January 1, 2018. The bill also creates a new permitting process for categories of facilities and projects exempted from the certificate of public need process that requires the Commissioner of Health to issue a permit but requires the Commissioner to condition a permit (a) on the agreement of the applicant to provide a specified level of care at a reduced rate to indigents, accept patients requiring specialized care, or facilitate the development and operation of primary medical care services in designated medically underserved areas of the applicant's service area and (b) on compliance of the applicant with quality of care standards. The bill also eliminates regional health planning agencies and makes numerous changes to the COPN process for facilities and projects that will still be subject to the requirement of a certificate. The bill contains technical amendments.