§2103. Date licenses must be obtained; moratorium on licensure of long-term care hospitals and beds

A. After July 1, 1961, no person acting individually or jointly with any other person shall establish, conduct, or maintain a hospital without a license from the department, except that any hospital in operation at the time of enactment of this Part shall make application for a license and may continue in operation until action has been taken on the application. Such hospitals shall be given a reasonable time, under the particular circumstances, not to exceed one year without department approval from the date of adoption of rules, regulations, and minimum standards as herein provided, within which to comply with such rules, regulations, and minimum standards.

B. A provisional license may be issued to a hospital for periods of six months in cases where sufficient compliance with regulations, codes or minimum standards require an extension of time. The failure to comply must not be detrimental to the health or safety of the residents and the deficiencies must be cited at the time of issuance.

C.(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the Louisiana Department of Health shall implement a moratorium, effective August 1, 1997, on the licensure of long-term care hospital facilities and beds in long-term care hospital facilities. The Louisiana Department of Health shall not approve for licensure as a hospital and enrollment as a Medicaid provider any long-term care hospital facility, as defined in 42 CFR 412.23, nor shall it approve for licensure and enrollment as a Medicaid provider any bed in such a facility, until July 1, 2008.

(2) This moratorium shall not apply to facilities licensed and converted to long-term care hospital facilities prior to December 1, 1997, or to Louisiana entities that, prior to July 1, 1997, have filed an application for accreditation with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations for facilities leased from a major teaching hospital, and have given notice to the Louisiana Department of Health of their intention to obtain long-term care hospital status for such hospital facilities.

(3) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the legislature specifically intends that this moratorium shall not apply to the facility in Orleans Parish formerly known as New Orleans General Hospital. Further, to the extent permitted by federal law this moratorium shall apply only to facilities enrolled in the Medicaid program.

Added by Acts 1961, No. 90, §1. Amended by Acts 1970, No. 408, §1; Acts 1978, No. 786, §5, eff. July 17, 1978; Acts 1997, No. 583, §2, eff. July 3, 1997; Acts 2001, No. 863, §2, eff. June 26, 2001; Acts 2003, No. 1191, §2, eff. July 3, 2003.