An Act To Simplify the Certificate of Need Process and Lessen the Regulatory Burden on Providers
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §328, sub-§22, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 664, §2, is amended to read:
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §333, sub-§1, ¶A-1, as amended by PL 2011, c. 424, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §1, is further amended to read:
Sec. 3. 22 MRSA §333, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 424, Pt. B, §4 and affected by Pt. E, §1, is further amended to read:
Sec. 4. 22 MRSA §333-A, sub-§3-A, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 424, Pt. B, §8 and affected by Pt. E, §1, is amended to read:
Sec. 5. 22 MRSA §334-A, sub-§1-A, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 424, Pt. B, §10 and affected by Pt. E, §1, is amended to read:
(1) The petitioner, or one or more nursing facilities or residential care facilities or combinations thereof under common ownership or control, has agreed to delicense a sufficient number of beds from the total number of currently licensed or reserved beds, or is otherwise reconfiguring the operations of such facilities, so that the MaineCare savings associated with such actions are sufficient to fully offset any incremental MaineCare costs that would otherwise arise from implementation of the certificate of need project and, as a result, there are no net incremental MaineCare costs arising from implementation of the certificate of need project; or
(2) The petitioner, or one or more nursing facilities or residential care facilities or combinations thereof under common ownership or control, has acquired bed rights from another nursing facility or facilities or residential care facility or facilities or combinations thereof that agree to delicense beds or that are ceasing operations or otherwise reconfiguring their operations, and the MaineCare revenues associated with these acquired bed rights and related actions are sufficient to cover the additional requested MaineCare costs associated with the project. The divisions within the department that are responsible for licensing and MaineCare reimbursement for nursing facilities and residential care facilities shall work cooperatively to review and consider whether to approve such projects.
With respect to the option described in this paragraph, when the average then current occupancy rate for existing nursing facility beds at facilities within 30 miles of the applicant facility exceeds 85%, the department in its review under section 335 shall evaluate the impact that the proposed additional nursing facility beds would have on those existing nursing facility beds and facilities and shall determine whether to approve the request based on current certificate of need criteria and methodology.
Certificate of need projects described in this paragraph are not subject to or limited by the nursing facility MaineCare funding pool.
Sec. 6. 22 MRSA §335, sub-§1-A, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 469, Pt. C, §9, is amended to read:
Sec. 7. 22 MRSA §335, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2007, c. 440, §15, is further amended to read:
Sec. 8. 22 MRSA §335, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2007, c. 440, §16, is further amended to read:
Sec. 9. 22 MRSA §335, sub-§5-A, ¶I, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 440, §18, is amended to read:
Sec. 10. 22 MRSA §335, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2009, c. 383, §8, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
(1) Give applicants an opportunity to hear whether the certificate of need application is likely to be approved or denied;
(2) Give applicants an opportunity to address issues and concerns expressed by the department regarding compliance with this chapter; and
(3) Give applicants an opportunity to offer additional information to the department.
Any additional information submitted by the applicant becomes part of the public record. The department shall complete its review after the technical assistance meeting and before the department publishes the preliminary analysis.
Sec. 11. 22 MRSA §335, sub-§7, as amended by PL 2011, c. 90, Pt. J, §6, is further amended to read:
(1) Capacity of the applicant to support the project financially over its useful life, in light of the rates the applicant expects to be able to charge for the services to be provided by the project; and
(2) Applicant's ability to establish and operate the project in accordance with existing and reasonably anticipated future changes in federal, state and local licensure and other applicable or potentially applicable rules . If the applicant is a provider of health care services that are substantially similar to those services being reviewed and is licensed in the State, the applicant is deemed to have fulfilled the requirements of this subparagraph if the services provided in the State by the applicant during the most recent 3-year period are of similar size and scope and are consistent with applicable licensing and certification standards;
(1) Whether, and the extent to which, the project will substantially address specific health problems as measured by health needs in the area to be served by the project;
(2) Whether the project will have a positive impact on the health status indicators of the population to be served;
(3) Whether the services affected by the project will be accessible to all residents of the area proposed to be served; and
(4) Whether the project will provide demonstrable improvements in quality and outcome measures applicable to the services proposed in the project;
(1) The impact of the project on total health care expenditures after taking into account, to the extent practical, both the costs and benefits of the project and the competing demands in the local service area and statewide for available resources for health care;
(2) The availability of state funds to cover any increase in state costs associated with utilization of the project's services; and
(3) The likelihood that more effective, more accessible or less costly alternative technologies or methods of service delivery may become available; and
In making a determination under this subsection, the commissioner shall may use data from the Maine Health Data Organization established in chapter 1683 and other information available to the commissioner to the extent such data and information is applicable to the determination being made. Particular weight must be given The commissioner may give appropriate weight to information that indicates that the proposed health services are innovations in high-quality health care delivery, that the proposed health services are not reasonably available in the proposed area and that the facility proposing the new health services is designed to provide excellent quality health care.
Sec. 12. 22 MRSA §336, as amended by PL 2009, c. 383, §9, is further amended to read:
§ 336. Simplified review and approval process
Notwithstanding the requirements set forth in section 335, the department shall conduct a simplified review and approval process in accordance with this section . unless a public hearing has been requested pursuant to section 339, subsection 2, paragraph D, in which case the project is subject to the expanded review in section 335. The department shall by rule set forth this simplified review and approval process. To the extent practicable, a simplified review must be completed and the commissioner shall make a decision within 60 days after the application has been certified as complete by the applicant pursuant to section 337, subsection 4, unless a hearing is requested by a person directly affected by a review or the commissioner determines to hold a hearing. The following projects may qualify for a simplified review process:
Sec. 13. 22 MRSA §337, sub-§2, ¶B, as amended by PL 2011, c. 424, Pt. D, §1 and affected by Pt. E, §1, is further amended to read:
Sec. 14. 22 MRSA §337, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 664, §2, is amended to read:
(1) Nursing facility projects;
(2) Hospital projects; and
(3) Other projects subject to review.
Sec. 15. 22 MRSA §337, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2011, c. 424, Pt. D, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §1, is further amended to read:
The department shall make an electronic or stenographic record of the public informational meeting.
A public informational meeting is not required for the simplified review and approval process in section 336 unless requested by the applicant, the department or a person directly affected by a review.
Sec. 16. 22 MRSA §337, sub-§7, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 664, §2, is amended to read:
Sec. 17. 22 MRSA §337, sub-§8 is enacted to read:
(1) If the suspension will suspend review of all competing applications; or
(2) If the suspension will not affect competing applications, which will continue to be reviewed without interruption.
Sec. 18. 22 MRSA §338, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2003, c. 469, Pt. C, §§13 and 14, is further amended to read:
Sec. 19. 22 MRSA §339, sub-§2, ¶B, as amended by PL 2011, c. 424, Pt. D, §3 and affected by Pt. E, §1, is further amended to read:
Sec. 20. 22 MRSA §339, sub-§2, ¶D, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 383, §12, is amended to read:
Sec. 21. 22 MRSA §339, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2011, c. 424, Pt. D, §4 and affected by Pt. E, §1, is further amended to read:
Sec. 22. 22 MRSA §339, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2011, c. 424, Pt. D, §5 and affected by Pt. E, §1, is further amended to read:
Sec. 23. 22 MRSA §346, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 664, §2, is amended to read:
Sec. 24. 22 MRSA §350-C, as reallocated by RR 2001, c. 2, Pt. A, §32, is amended to read:
§ 350-C. Implementation reports
The holder of a certificate of need shall make written reports as provided in this section and as required by rule adopted by the department.