Section 580. Long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs)

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A. LTACHs will not be considered as a separate category for planning or licensing purposes. All LTACH beds remain part of the inventory of inpatient hospital beds.

B. A LTACH shall only be approved if an existing hospital converts existing medical/surgical beds to LTACH beds or if there is an identified need for LTACH beds within a health planning district. New LTACH beds that would result in an increase in total licensed beds above 165% of the average daily census for the health planning district will not be approved. Excess inpatient beds within an applicant's existing acute care facilities must be converted to fill any unmet need for additional LTACH beds.

C. If an existing or host hospital converts existing beds for use as LTACH beds, those beds must be delicensed from the bed inventory of the existing hospital. If the LTACH ceases to exist, terminates its services, or does not offer services for a period of 12 months within its first year of operation, the beds delicensed by the host hospital to establish the LTACH shall revert back to that host hospital.

If the LTACH ceases operation in subsequent years of operation, the host hospital may reacquire the LTACH beds by obtaining a COPN, provided the beds are to be used exclusively for their original intended purpose and the application meets all other applicable project delivery requirements. Such an application shall not be subject to the standard batch review cycle and shall be processed as allowed under Part VI (12VAC5-220-280 et seq.) of the Virginia Medical Care Facilities Certificate of Public Need Rules and Regulations.

D. The application shall delineate the service area for the LTACH by documenting the expected areas from which it is expected to draw patients.

E. A LTACH shall be established for 10 or more beds.

F. A LTACH shall become certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a long-term acute care hospital and shall not convert to a hospital for patients needing a length of stay of less than 25 days without obtaining a certificate of public need.

1. If the LTACH fails to meet the CMS requirements as a LTACH within 12 months after beginning operation, it may apply for a six-month extension of its COPN.

2. If the LTACH fails to meet the CMS requirements as a LTACH within the extension period, then the COPN granted pursuant to this section shall expire automatically.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 25, Issue 09, eff. February 15, 2009.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-102.2 of the Code of Virginia.