Primary care clinics.

Under existing law, the State Department of Public Health licenses and regulates primary care clinics, as defined. A violation of those provisions is a crime under existing law. Existing law authorizes a clinic corporation, on behalf of a primary care clinic that has held a valid, unrevoked, and unsuspended license for at least the immediately preceding 5 years, with no demonstrated history of repeated or uncorrected violations of specified provisions that pose immediate jeopardy to a patient, and that has no pending action to suspend or revoke its license, to file an affiliate clinic application to establish a primary care clinic at an additional site. Existing law provides that no application for licensure is required if a licensed primary care clinic adds a service that is not a special service, as defined, or remodels or modifies an existing primary care clinic site, but requires the clinic to notify the department of these events, as specified. This bill would, among other things, expand that exception from licensure, and that notice requirement, to include a licensed primary care clinic or affiliate clinic that adds an additional physical plant maintained and operated on separate premises. The bill would require the department, upon written notification by a primary care clinic or affiliate clinic of its intent to add an additional physical plant maintained and operated on separate premises and upon payment of a licensing fee for each additional physical plant added, to review the information provided in the notification, and if the information submitted is in compliance with specified requirements, require the department to approve the additional physical plant within 30 days of all information being submitted, and to amend the primary care clinic or affiliate clinic's license to include the additional physical plant as part of a single consolidated license. Because the bill would create a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.