On Thursday, December 6, 2012, the House Select Committee on the Certificate of Need Process and Related Hospital Issues concluded its work and issued a final report (click here to read the report in its entirety including draft legislation).
Chaired by Representative John Torbett and Representative Fred Steen, the committee’s report offers 20 recomendations, including the following items:
- A full and a complete review of all new institutional health services regulated under CON law to determine the need and rationale for each included service regulation.
- The passage of legislation to exempt diagnostic centers from CON review and amending the CON laws pertaining to single-specialty ambulatory surgery operating rooms.
- An increase in the capital expenditure threshold for new institutional health services from $2 million to $4 million.
- Elimination of the monetary threshold for expedited review.
- Eliminate replacement equipment from the CON process.
- Increase the monetary threshold for major medical equipment from $750,000 to $1.5 million.
It is important to note that the proposed increase in expenditure and monetary thresholds will continue to advantage only those curently holding a CON and does not bring fairness or opportunity to those wishing to enter into the process, which is contrary to NCMS policy on Certificate of Need.
The final report of the Committee will be available as information to the 2013 General Assembly and related legislation may be filed.
