SB 1566 Certificate of Public Need program; established, report

About SB-1566

Certificate of public need; reports. Makes changes to the Medical Care Facilities Certificate of Public Need Program. The bill (i) removes psychiatric facilities, specialized centers or clinics or that portion of a physician's office developed for the provision of ambulatory or outpatient surgery, lithotripsy, magnetic source imaging (MSI), or nuclear medicine imaging, and certain specialized centers or clinics or portions of hospitals for the provision of neonatal special care services from the list of reviewable medical care facilities; (ii) provides that establishment of a medical care facility to replace an existing medical care facility with the same primary service area does not constitute a project; (iii) removes introduction into an existing medical care facility of any new lithotripsy, MSI, or obstetrical service that the facility has never provided or has not provided in the previous 12 months and addition by an existing medical care facility of any medical equipment for the provision of lithotripsy and MSI from the definition of project; (iv) creates a new process for registration of projects exempted from the definition of project by the bill; (v) establishes an expedited 45-day review process for applicants for projects determined to be uncontested or to present limited health planning impacts; (vi) renames the State Medical Facilities Plan as the State Health Services Plan and establishes a State Health Services Plan Advisory Council to provide recommendations related to the content of the State Health Services Plan; (vii) clarifies the content of the application for a certificate; and (viii) reduces the timeline for a person to be made party to the case for good cause from 80 calendar days to four days following completion of the review and submission of recommendations related to an application.