October 23, 2017

TO:                  Interested Parties

FROM:           Dana Selover, Section Manager

                        Health Care Regulation and Quality Improvement      

RE:                 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for OAR chapter 333, division 675 - "Facility Planning and Safety, Project Plans and Construction Review and Fees"

________________________________________________________________

The Oregon Health Authority (Authority), Public Health Division is proposing to permanently amend rules in chapter 333, division 675 related to facility planning and safety, project plans and construction review, and fees.

ORS 441.060 allows the Authority to prescribe by rule the submission of plans and on-site inspections for new construction or alterations or additions to existing health care facilities, which includes some long-term care facilities. The proposed rules:

· Remove the application form from rule;

· Clarify schematic plan, construction design and function program submission requirements;

· Clarify that major project changes include changes that significantly effect plumbing systems;

· Clarify that the Authority may reject and request revised plans that are not required to be stamped by a licensed architect in accordance with statute;

· Adds that inactive plans over an extended period of time will be considered expired;

· Identify Authority and project sponsor responsibilities;

· Increase plans review fees for health care facilities, which includes some long-term care facilities; and

· Make non-substantive edits including grammatical edits, general updates consistent with Authority processes, statutory references, formatting and punctuation and changes for ease of reading.

You are being invited to review these proposed rules and to comment on them.  If you wish to present oral testimony, a public hearing will be held in Portland, Oregon at 800 NE Oregon St, Room 1E, on December 7, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. You may also file written comments before 5:00 p.m. on December 8, 2017 to the Public Health Division Rules Coordinator at the following address:

OHA, Public Health Division

Brittany Hall, Administrative Rules Coordinator

800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 930

Portland, Oregon 97232

Comments may also be sent by E-mail to: publichealth.rules@state.or.us or by FAX to:

(971) 673-1299.

Final rules will be filed after consideration of all comments.

For more details, please see the attached Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Statement of Need and Fiscal Impact, Statement of Need and Fiscal Impact Fee Table and the full text of these proposed rules. This information can also be found at the following website: http://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/providerpartnerresources/healthcareprovidersfacilities/facilitiesplanningsafety/pages/index.aspx#rulemaking

If you have any questions or would prefer a hardcopy be sent, please contact Mellony Bernal at mellony.c.bernal@state.or.us or 971-673-3152.