SCS/SB 373 - This act makes the following changes in the certificate of need laws.

1. Expenditure minimums for beds in hospitals and long term care beds in hospitals shall be $0 until December 31, 1999;

2. Expenditure minimums for health care facilities and new institutional health services to be $1 million dollars;

3. Expenditure minimums for major medical equipment to be $1 million dollars;

4. Definition of health care facilities expanded to including any entity delivering health services whether licensed or unlicensed;

5. Clarifies that a continuing care retirement community, skilled nursing facility or residential care facility I or II may increase its licensed bed capacity by the lessor of 10 beds or ten percent only once during the two year period beginning on July 12, 1996 and ending of July 11, 1998. A facility's increase in beds shall only be within the same licensure category.

The act also provides that the Department of Health shall inspect home health agencies which have been in operation for at least three years, once every three years from the point of the initial inspection. For those agencies that have been in operation for less than three years the Department shall conduct inspections at least once a year.

The Department may accept written surveys or parts of written surveys from any federal or state agency or a professional accrediting agency if such reports are comparable in scope and method to the Department's surveys and are conducted within one year of the initial application or within three years for the renewal of the home health agency's license.

CHERYL GRAZIER