Section 440. General facility requirements

Part IV. Hospice Facilities

A. All construction of new buildings and additions, renovations or alterations of existing buildings for occupancy as a hospice facility shall conform to state and local codes, zoning and building ordinances and the Uniform Statewide Building Code.

In addition, hospice facilities shall be designed and constructed according to section 4.2 of Part 4 of the 2006 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities of the American Institute of Architects. However, the requirements of the Uniform Statewide Building Code and local zoning and building ordinances shall take precedence.

B. All buildings shall be inspected and approved as required by the appropriate regional state fire marshal's office or building and fire regulatory official. Approval shall be a Certificate of Use and Occupancy indicating the building is classified for its proposed licensed purpose.

C. The facility must have space for private patient family visiting and accommodations for family members after a patient's death. Patients shall be allowed to receive guests, including small children, at any hour.

D. Patient rooms shall not exceed two beds per room and must be at grade level or above, enclosed by four ceiling-high walls. Each room shall be equipped for adequate nursing care, the comfort and privacy of patients, and with a device for calling the staff member on duty.

E. Designated guest rooms for family members or patient guests and beds for use by employees of the facility shall not be included in the bed capacity of a hospice facility provided such beds and locations are identified and used exclusively by staff, volunteers or patient guests.

Employees shall not utilize patient rooms nor shall bedrooms for employees be used by patients.

F. Waste storage shall be located in a separate area outside or easily accessible to the outside for direct pickup or disposal. The use of an incinerator shall require permitting from the nearest regional permitting office for the Department of Environmental Quality.

G. The facility shall provide or arrange for under written agreement, laboratory, x-ray, and other diagnostic services, as ordered by the patient's physician.

H. There shall be a plan implemented to assure the continuation of essential patient support services in case of power outages, water shortage, or in the event of the absence from work of any portion of the workforce resulting from inclement weather or other causes.

I. No part of a hospice facility may be rented, leased or used for any purpose other than the provision of hospice care at the facility.

J. A separate and distinct entrance shall be provided if the program intends to administer and provide its community-based hospice care from the facility so that such traffic and noise shall be diverted away from patient care areas.

K. The hospice facility shall maintain a complete set of legible "as built" drawings showing all construction, fixed equipment, and mechanical and electrical systems, as installed or built.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 21, Issue 23, eff. November 1, 2005; amended, Virginia Register Volume 27, Issue 11, eff. March 2, 2011.

Statutory Authority

§§ 32.1-12 and 32.1-162.5 of the Code of Virginia.