The health care industry has seen a recent shift towards consolidation, driven in part by legislation such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which encourages integration within the industry. As a result, health care entities are increasingly considering opportunities to merge with or acquire other companies. While this can be an exciting prospect … Continue Reading
With the arrival of 2014, the Pennsylvania Department of Health ("DOH") is now authorized to grant "deemed status" for licensure purposes to hospitals that have been accredited by national accreditation organizations, such as The Joint Commission. This past July, Governor Corbett signed Act 60 of 2013 ("Act 60") into law, which amends the Health Care Facilities Act to require DOH to accept hospital surveys and inspections conducted by national accreditation organizations designated as acceptable to DOH in lieu of DOH's regular licensure renewal surveys. In addition, Act 60 extends the term of licensure from two years to three years for all Pennsylvania hospitals.… Continue Reading
On June 30, 2012, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare ("DPW") issued final regulations revising its process and standards for reviewing requests to enroll new nursing home beds in Pennsylvania's Medical Assistance ("MA") (i.e., Medicaid) program, and transfers of MA beds between existing nursing facilities. The new regulations suggest that DPW's restrictive approach to gaining approval for new MA beds will continue.… Continue Reading
This post was also written by Amie E. Schaadt and Jacqueline B. Penrod. On December 12, 2009, the Pennsylvania Department of Health published final regulations governing home care agencies and registries operating in the Commonwealth. The regulations, which became effective on December 12, 2009, require home care agencies and registries to obtain a license to operate. … Continue Reading
