Health facilities: physical plant location.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to issue a single consolidated license to a general acute care hospital that includes more than one physical plant maintained and operated on separate premises if all applicable requirements of licensure, as specified, are satisfied. Under existing law, the physical plants maintained and operated under a general acute care hospital's single consolidated license must be located no more than 15 miles apart, unless a specified exception applies. This bill would create an exception to permit a general acute care hospital to operate an emergency department located more than 15 miles from its main physical plant, if all applicable requirements of licensure are satisfied. The bill would also permit a closing general acute care hospital's emergency department to continue to be operated at the same location or locations by an acquiring general acute care hospital, as specified. The bill would create an exception to permit the acquiring general acute care hospital to operate the closing general acute care hospital's emergency department at that location or locations, even if located more than 15 miles from the acquiring general acute care hospital's main physical plant, if all applicable requirements of licensure are satisfied.