Powers and duties of the director

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36-405. Powers and duties of the director

A. The director shall adopt rules to establish minimum standards and requirements for constructing, modifying and licensing health care institutions necessary to ensure the public health, safety and welfare. The standards and requirements shall relate to the construction, equipment, sanitation, staffing for medical, nursing and personal care services, and recordkeeping pertaining to administering medical, nursing, behavioral health and personal care services, in accordance with generally accepted practices of health care. The standards shall require that a physician who is licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 13 or 17 medically discharge patients from surgery and shall allow an outpatient surgical center to require that either an anesthesia provider who is licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 13, 15 or 17 or a physician who is licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 13 or 17 remain present on the premises until all patients are discharged from the recovery room. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the director shall use the current standards adopted by the joint commission on accreditation of hospitals and the commission on accreditation of the American osteopathic association or those adopted by any recognized accreditation organization approved by the department as guidelines in prescribing minimum standards and requirements under this section.

B. The director, by rule, may:

1. Classify and subclassify health care institutions according to character, size, range of services provided, medical or dental specialty offered, duration of care and standard of patient care required for the purposes of licensure. Classes of health care institutions may include hospitals, infirmaries, outpatient treatment centers, health screening services centers and residential care facilities. Whenever the director reasonably deems distinctions in rules and standards to be appropriate among different classes or subclasses of health care institutions, the director may make such distinctions.

2. Prescribe standards for determining a health care institution's substantial compliance with licensure requirements.

3. Prescribe the criteria for the licensure inspection process.

4. Prescribe standards for selecting health care-related demonstration projects.

5. Establish nonrefundable application and licensing fees for health care institutions, including a grace period and a fee for the late payment of licensing fees, and fees for architectural plans and specifications reviews.

6. Establish a process for the department to notify a licensee of the licensee's licensing fee due date.

7. Establish a process for a licensee to request a different licensing fee due date, including any limits on the number of requests by the licensee.

C. The director, by rule, shall adopt licensing provisions that facilitate the colocation and integration of outpatient treatment centers that provide medical, nursing and health-related services with behavioral health services consistent with article 3.1 of this chapter.

D. The director may adopt rules regarding the collection of data from health care institutions.

E. Ninety percent of the fees collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, in the health services licensing fund established by section 36-414 and ten percent of the fees collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, in the state general fund.

F. Subsection B, paragraph 5 of this section does not apply to a health care institution operated by a state agency pursuant to state or federal law or to adult foster care residential settings.


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