BIRTH CENTER LICENSING

Creates the Birth Center Licensing Act. Provides that, except as provided by the Act, no person shall open, manage, conduct, offer, maintain, or advertise as a birth center without a valid license issued by the Department of Public Health. Requires all birth centers in existence as of the effective date of the Act to obtain a valid license to operate within 2 years after the adoption of rules by the Department to implement the Act. Provides that an applicant for a license under the Act shall submit an application on forms prescribed by the Department, which shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable license fee, as established by rule by the Department. Provides that licenses under the Act are renewable every 3 years upon submission of specified materials. Requires birth centers, to the extent possible, to link and integrate services with nearby health care facilities. Contains provisions concerning staffing requirements; minimum standards to protect the health and safety of a patient of a birth center; and requirements for reimbursement, reporting, training, and inspections. Requires the Department to adopt specified rules. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Makes changes concerning definitions. Refers to certified nurse midwives (rather than midwives). Provides that licenses under the Act are renewable every year (rather than every 3 years) upon submission of specified materials. Provides that birth centers shall obtain certificates of need from the Health Facilities and Services Review Board under the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act before receiving a license by the Department of Public Health. Provides that if, after obtaining an initial certificate of need, a birth center seeks to increase the bed capacity of the birth center, the birth center must obtain a certificate of need from the Health Facilities and Services Review Board before increasing the bed capacity. Provides that a birth center in a medically underserved area shall receive priority in obtaining a certificate of need. Provides that a birth center shall link and integrate its services with at least one birthing hospital with a minimum of a Level 1 perinatal designation (rather than with nearby health care facilities). Provides that a birth center shall have an established agreement with a nearby receiving birthing center (rather than a written plan for transfer of patients). Provides that a birth center is encouraged to participate in quality improvement projects implemented by the Department of Public Health's Administrative Perinatal Centers and other Department-supported perinatal quality improvement projects. Requires clinicians, or their clinical representative, and attending persons in labor at a birth center to attend morbidity and mortality reviews that occur at the receiving birthing hospital on their patients. Requires the Department to require each birth center to report specified information every year (rather than every 3 years). Removes language requiring the Department to deem an accreditation body applicable to birth centers as a substitute for its own periodic inspection. Makes other changes.