Fact sheet: Healthcare Facility Regulation [Nov. 2013]

Fact Sheet

Healthcare Facility Regulation

Overview
The mission of the Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFR) 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 verifies that facilities operate in compliance with state statutes and with rules and regulations adopted by the Board of Community Health.
HFR is responsible for the health planning activities of the state, administering Georgia's Certificate of Need (CON) 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 & Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Transition
In the 2008 Legislative Session, SB 433 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, HB 228 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.

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:
P rotection A ccess Q uality R egulatory Compliance

Georgia Department of Community Health | 2 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303 | www.dch.georgia.gov | 404-656-4507

November 2013

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Fact Sheet
An Overview of Healthcare Facility Regulation
Organizational Structure
HFR is composed 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 consolidated to create the 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 that 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 avoid the unnecessary duplication of services, 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 verify ongoing compliance with rules and regulations enacted by the state and federal governments. Complaints are received, triaged and investigated to assure that health care facilities are meeting licensure and certification requirements.
For More Information
Visit www.dch.georgia.gov/healthcare-facility-regulation-0 for more information.

Georgia Department of Community Health | 2 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303 | www.dch.georgia.gov | 404-656-4507

November 2013

2 of 2 BL-9-26-13