There has been a lot of discussion about major changes to North Carolina’s Certificate of Need law.  As these legislative discussions continue, the State Health Coordinating Council continues its work on next year’s State Medical Facilities Plan (“SMFP”).  The draft plan is available on the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation’s website.  Public hearings on this proposed SMFP were held in July.  Several petitions have been submitted seeking adjustments to the new determinations in the proposed 2016 SMFP.

A summary of the need determinations in the proposed 2016 SMFP is set forth below. Petitions submitted to adjust the need determinations also are listed.

Acute Care Beds

• Orange County:  84

Operating Rooms

• Brunswick County:  1
• Columbus County:  1
• New Hanover County:  3
• Rowan County:  1

Fixed MRIs

• Lincoln County:  1
• Mecklenburg County:  1

Adult Care Home Beds

• Ashe County:  30
• Graham County:  20
• Jones County:  30
• Perquimans County:  50
• Washington County:  20

Hospice Inpatient Beds

• Cumberland County:  8

Child/Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Beds (allocated by LME/MCO)

• Cardinal:  12
• Eastpointe:  29
• Sandhills:  1
• Smoky Mountain:  5
• Trillium:  2

Adult Psychiatric Inpatient Beds (allocated by LME/MCO)

• Alliance:  30
• Sandhills:  3

Adult Chemical Dependency Treatment Beds

• Central Region:  12

Child/Adolescent Chemical Dependency Beds

• Central Region:  5

The applicable need methodologies showed no need for the following services or beds:

• Open Heart Surgery Services
• Burn Intensive Care Services
• Transplantation
• In-Patient Rehabilitation Beds
• Lithotripsy
• Gamma Knife
• Linear Accelerators
• Pet Scanners
• Cardiac Catheterization Equipment
• Nursing Care Facility Beds
• Home Health Agencies or Offices
• Hospice Agencies or Offices
• Adult and Child ICF/IID Beds

Petitions Submitted To Adjust The Need Determinations

• Demonstration project for a single specialty, two operating room, ambulatory surgical facility in Buncombe County.
• Demonstration project for a dental operating room for Cumberland County.
• Demonstration project for an ambulatory dental facility for Wake County.
• Special need determination for a fixed MRI in Brunswick County.
• Special need determination for a fixed MRI in Lincoln County.
• Special need determination for fixed MRI in Wake County.
• Special need determination for fixed/shared Cardiac Catheterization Equipment in Harnett County.