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| Sec. 17. Hearing process review. The Department of Health and Human | | Services shall review the existing hearing process provided in the | | laws governing certificates of need, the Maine Revised Statutes, | | Title 22, chapter 103-A, to determine whether that process ensures | | that the Commissioner of Health and Human Services has all the | | information needed to make a fair and accurate determination of | | whether each project proposed for certification meets the needs of | | Maine citizens. The Department of Health and Human Services shall | | conduct the review described and then report its findings and any | | proposed changes to the laws governing certificates of need to the | | Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services no later than | | January 1, 2006. |
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| | | Sec. 18. Review of staffing; fees. By January 1, 2006, the Department of | | Health and Human Services shall: |
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| | | 1. Review and make recommendations regarding the certificate | | of need program's staffing needs; |
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| | | 2. Review and analyze the State's current certificate of need | | fees compared to certificate of need fees in other states; and |
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| | | 3. Make recommendations regarding possible changes in the | | State's certificate of need fees necessary to adequately support | | program staffing needs. |
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| | | The Department of Health and Human Services shall report its | | findings to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human | | Services no later than January 1, 2006. |
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| | | This bill enacts the recommendations of the Commission to | | Study Maine's Community Hospitals established in Public Law 2003, | | chapter 469, which created Dirigo Health. The Commission to | | Study Maine's Community Hospitals was charged with the duty to | | study the role of community hospitals in the 21st century, | | including assessing cost efficiencies, cost effectiveness and | | overall affordability of available health care services. | | Specifically, the bill accomplishes the following. |
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| | | 1. It amends the Hospital Cooperation Act to make it easier | | for hospitals to collaborate by reducing concerns relative to | | antitrust ramifications. It also extends the Act to include | | health care providers other than hospitals, and changes the short |
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