An Overview of Healthcare Facility Regulation 
 
Overview 
Healthcare Facility Regulation Division's (HFR) mission is to protect the residents of Georgia by ensuring the delivery of safe, accessible, affordable and quality health care services through effective and efficient planning and regulation. To achieve its mission, HFR analyzes and determines the need for health care facilities and services through Health Planning; and licenses, monitors, and inspects a variety of such facilities and services through Health Care Licensing. HFR ensures that facilities operate in compliance with state statutes and with rules and regulations adopted by the Board of DCH. HFR is also responsible for the health planning activities of the State, administering Georgia's certificate of need program and investigating complaints about the care received in health care facilities. HFR also serves as the state survey agency performing federal certification inspections in health care facilities participating in the Medicare and/or Medicaid program through a contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services. 
Transition 
In the 2008 Legislative Session, SB433 was passed mandating that several of the facility licensure functions that were part of the Department of Human Resources (DHR) Office of Regulatory Services (ORS) move to the Department of Community Health (DCH) on July 1, 2009. Additionally, in the 2009 Legislative Session, HB228 moved additional functions related to health care facilities from DHR to DCH. On July 1, 2009, DCH created the Healthcare Facility Regulation Division within the Department. 
Organizational Structure 
HFR is comprised of two units: Health Care Licensing and Health Planning. Prior to 2011, Healthcare Facility Regulation and Health Planning were separate divisions within DCH. Because the activities of health planning and health care licensing are closely related, the Divisions of Health Planning and Healthcare Facility Regulation were recently consolidated to create the 
 
Core Principles 
HFR is committed to protecting Georgia's health care consumers by ensuring access to, and the quality of, health care facilities and services through the enforcement of state statutes and regulations and federal certification requirements. To this end, HFR has developed four core principles that guide its day-to-day activities: 
Protection Access Quality Regulatory Compliance 
 
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Georgia Department of Community Health | 2 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303 | www.dch.georgia.gov | 404-656-4507 January 2012 
 
 An Overview of HFR, Continued 
current organizational structure. The goal of the new structure is to better serve health care consumers and providers through a more efficient utilization of existing resources. 
Goals 
HFR ensures health care facilities and services are developed in an orderly and economical manner, and that patients are protected from harm through the provision of services in a safe environment. 
The core principles are applied to the five primary lines of business: certificate of need, initial licensure, certification, periodic survey and complaint investigations. Facilities requesting a certificate of need are reviewed to ensure the unnecessary duplication of services is avoided, that the services are compatible with health care needs of the area and population to be served and that the proposal is cost effective. Facilities requesting an initial licensure or certification survey are reviewed to ensure they can provide the services in compliance with state licensure or federal certification requirements. Periodic surveys are conducted to ensure ongoing compliance with rules and regulations enacted by the state and federal governments. Complaints are received, triaged and investigated to ensure that health care facilities are meeting licensure and certification requirements.