DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Review of Health Services Covered by the Certificate of Need Program; Meeting Notice [27 Pa.B. 842] On December 18, 1996, those provisions of the Health Care Facilities Act relevant to the Certificate of Need (CON) program terminated. (35 P. S. § 448.904(a)). On December 14, 1996, the Department of Health (Department) published notice that it would undertake a review of those clinically related health services covered under the CON program. (26 Pa. B. 6029).
The Department has commenced this review. Work groups have been established to review the relevant chapters of the State Health Services Plan and to determine if any criteria in these chapters discussing quality assurance and patient safety should be added to existing regulations of the Department regarding licensure of health care facilities.
Work group recommendations concerning six of these health care services were made available to the public on February 5, 1997. These six services consisted of: 1) ambulatory surgical care, 2) cardiac catheterization, 3) long-term care, 4) neonatal care, 5) open heart surgery, and 6) vital organ transplantation. A notice appeared in the February 1, 1997 issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin setting forth the procedure for a public meeting which was held on February 11, 1997.
Work group recommendations on the remaining health care services will be presented to the Secretary of Health by February 21, 1997. These services are: 1) comprehensive medical rehabilitation--inpatient, 2) drug and alcohol rehabilitation--inpatient, 3) emergency department, 4) intermediate care facility/mentally retarded (ICF/MR), 5) lithotripsy--biliary and renal, 6) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), 7) medical surgery and surgery inpatient and 8) psychiatric inpatient--adult, child and adolescent. Other administrative recommendations may also be available at this time. Those individuals who wish to obtain a copy of these recommendations should call James T. Steele, Jr., at (717) 783-2500. Copies will be available on February 21, 1997.
The Department will hold a public meeting on these recommendations on February 28, 1997, at the Pennsylvania State Museum, Main Auditorium, Third and North Streets, Harrisburg, PA, commencing at 10 a.m. Any person who wishes to present testimony at this meeting should contact Robin Bowman at (717) 783-2500 on or before February 27, 1997.
Written comments will be received by the Department until close of business on March 5, 1997, and should be sent to James T. Steele, Department of Health, Room 806 Health and Welfare Building, P. O. Box 90, Harrisburg, PA 17108.
For additional information or if you are a person with a disability and desire to attend the meeting and require an auxiliary aide service or other accommodation to do so, contact Robin Bowman at (717) 783-2500.
This meeting is subject to cancellation without notice.
TDD: (717) 783-6514 or Network/TDD: (8) 717-433-6514.
DANIEL F. HOFFMANN, FACHE,
Acting Secretary[Pa.B. Doc. No. 97-222. Filed for public inspection February 14, 1997, 9:00 a.m.]
