SB2866 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB097 18121 PJG 63345 b

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
SB2866

Introduced 2/1/2012, by Sen. Linda Holmes

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 3960/2

from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1152

Amends the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act. Makes a technical change to a Section concerning the purpose of the Act.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act is amended by changing Section 2 as follows:

(20 ILCS 3960/2) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1152)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on December 31, 2019)

Sec. 2. Purpose of the Act. This Act shall establish a procedure (1) which requires a person establishing, constructing or modifying a health care facility, as herein defined, to have the the qualifications, background, character and financial resources to adequately provide a proper service for the community; (2) that promotes, through the process of comprehensive health planning, the orderly and economic development of health care facilities in the State of Illinois that avoids unnecessary duplication of such facilities; (3) that promotes planning for and development of health care facilities needed for comprehensive health care especially in areas where the health planning process has identified unmet needs; and (4) that carries out these purposes in coordination with the Center for Comprehensive Health Planning and the Comprehensive Health Plan developed by that Center.

The changes made to this Act by this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly are intended to accomplish the following objectives: to improve the financial ability of the public to obtain necessary health services; to establish an orderly and comprehensive health care delivery system that will guarantee the availability of quality health care to the general public; to maintain and improve the provision of essential health care services and increase the accessibility of those services to the medically underserved and indigent; to assure that the reduction and closure of health care services or facilities is performed in an orderly and timely manner, and that these actions are deemed to be in the best interests of the public; and to assess the financial burden to patients caused by unnecessary health care construction and modification. The Health Facilities and Services Review Board must apply the findings from the Comprehensive Health Plan to update review standards and criteria, as well as better identify needs and evaluate applications, and establish mechanisms to support adequate financing of the health care delivery system in Illinois, for the development and preservation of safety net services. The Board must provide written and consistent decisions that are based on the findings from the Comprehensive Health Plan, as well as other issue or subject specific plans, recommended by the Center for Comprehensive Health Planning. Policies and procedures must include criteria and standards for plan variations and deviations that must be updated. Evidence-based assessments, projections and decisions will be applied regarding capacity, quality, value and equity in the delivery of health care services in Illinois. The integrity of the Certificate of Need process is ensured through revised ethics and communications procedures. Cost containment and support for safety net services must continue to be central tenets of the Certificate of Need process.

(Source: P.A. 96-31, eff. 6-30-09.)