31-6-21. Department of Community Health functions and powers.

The Department of Community Health, established under Chapter 2 of this title, is authorized to administer the certificate of need program established under this chapter and, within the appropriations made available to the department by the General Assembly of Georgia and consistently with the laws of the State of Georgia, a state health plan adopted by the board. The department shall review and update the state health plan at least every five years beginning no later than January 1, 2025, to ensure the plan meets the evolving needs of the state. The department shall provide, by rule, for procedures to administer its functions until otherwise provided by the board.#

The functions of the department shall be:#

1. (1)

   To conduct the health planning activities of the state and to implement those parts of the state health plan which relate to the government of the state;#

2. (2)

   To prepare and revise a draft state health plan with recommendations from technical advisory committees;#

3. (3)

   To seek advice, at its discretion, from technical advisory committees in the performance by the department of its functions pursuant to this chapter;#

4. (4)

   To adopt, promulgate, and implement rules and regulations sufficient to administer the provisions of this chapter including the certificate of need program;#

5. (5)

   To define, by rule, the form, content, schedules, and procedures for submission of applications for certificates of need, other determinations, and periodic reports;#

6. (6)

   To establish time periods and procedures consistent with this chapter to hold hearings and to obtain the viewpoints of interested persons prior to issuance or denial of a certificate of need;#

7. (7)

   To provide, by rule, for such fees as may be necessary to cover the costs of hearing officers, preparing the record for appeals before such hearing officers and the Certificate of Need Appeal Panel of the decisions of the department, and other related administrative costs, which costs may include reasonable sharing between the department and the parties to appeal hearings;#

8. (8)

   To establish, by rule, need methodologies for new institutional health services and health care facilities. In developing such need methodologies, the department shall, at a minimum, consider the demographic characteristics of the population, the health status of the population, service use patterns, standards and trends, financial and geographic accessibility, and market economics. The department shall establish service-specific need methodologies and criteria for at least the following clinical health services: short stay hospital beds, adult therapeutic cardiac catheterization, adult open heart surgery, pediatric cardiac catheterization and open heart surgery, Level II and III perinatal services, freestanding birthing centers, psychiatric and substance abuse inpatient programs, skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities, home health agencies, and life plan community sheltered facilities;#

9. (9)

   To provide, by rule, for a reasonable and equitable fee schedule for certificate of need applications; provided, however, that a certificate of need application filed by or on behalf of a hospital in a rural county shall be exempt from any such fee;#

10. (10)

    To grant, deny, or revoke a certificate of need as applied for or as amended;#

11. (11)

    To perform powers and functions delegated by the Governor, which delegation may include the powers to carry out the duties and powers which have been delegated to the department under Section 1122 of the federal Social Security Act of 1935, as amended; and#

12. (12)

    Study the amount of uncompensated indigent and charity care provided by each type of health care facility, recommend requirements for the levels of uncompensated indigent and charity care required to be performed by each health care facility type and develop standardized reporting requirements for the department to accurately track the amount of uncompensated indigent and charity care provided by each health care facility.#

The commissioner shall have the power to establish and abolish technical advisory committees as he or she deems necessary, in consultation with the board, to inform effective strategy development and execution.#