Certificate of  Need

Certificate of Need (CoN)

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Links to external resources are provided as a public service and do not imply endorsement by the Washington State Department of Health

Overview

The Certificate of Need (CoN) program is a regulatory process that requires certain health care providers to obtain state approval before offering certain new or expanded services.

For example, a Certificate of Need would be required if a hospital wishes to establish a comprehensive medical rehabilitation program or to initiate certain specialized services.

The CoN process is intended to help ensure that new services proposed by health care providers are needed for quality patient care within a particular region or community

A variety of health care facilities are subject to CoN review for various types of projects.
These include:

• Construction, development, or establishment of the following health care facilities:

  • Hospitals
  • Nursing Homes
  • Kidney Dialysis Centers
  • Medicare Home Health Agencies
  • Medicare Hospice Agencies
  • Ambulatory Surgical Centers

  • Hospice Care Centers

• Any increase in the number of kidney dialysis treatment stations.
• Sale, purchase, or lease of all or part of an existing hospital, regardless of profit/non-profit status.
• Any increase in the number of licensed beds at a hospital or nursing home.
• Development of a new tertiary health service regardless of facility type:
  • Level I Rehabilitation Programs
  • Open Heart Surgery
  • Therapeutic Cardiac Catheterization
  • Organ Transplantation 
  • Specialty Burn Services
  • Intermediate Care Nursery and/or Obstetric Services II
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery and/or Obstetric Services Level III

  • Specialized Inpatient Pediatric Services 

• For Nursing Homes Only, any capital expenditure exceeding the minimum 1 million dollar threshold (adjusted for inflation). 2007 minimum set at $2,000,000.
• Nursing home bed banking transactions.
• Nursing home replacements.

Specific applicable provisions are found in Chapter 246-310 WAC Certificate of Need.

Complete information concerning Certificate of Need requirements is available from the Certificate of Need (360-236-2955) program. Separate documentation and submission processes are required for Certificate of Need and Construction Review Services. The facility should make the appropriate submissions for each process in a timely manner to avoid unnecessary and/or unanticipated delays.

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Washington State Department of Health
Certificate of Need Program
Office of Certification & Enforcement

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 47852
Olympia, WA 98504-7852

Physical Address:
310 Israel Rd SE
Tumwater, WA 98501

Phone: (360) 236-2955
Fax: (360) 236-2901

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Last Update : 09/21/2009 08:03 AM
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