The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Applicant" means the applicant for a certificate of need to provide long-term acute care services.
"Charity care" means hospital care paid for under the New Jersey Hospital Care Payment Assistance Program (Charity Care Assistance) which is free or reduced charge care that is provided to patients who receive inpatient or outpatient services at acute care hospitals throughout the State of New Jersey.
"Department" means the New Jersey Department of Health.
"Diagnosis related groups" or "DRGs" means a patient classification scheme in which cases are grouped by shared characteristics of principal diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, age, surgical procedure, and other complications. Each DRG exhibits a consistent amount of resource consumption as measured by some unit (for example, length of stay, dollars, etc.).
"Long-term acute care hospital" or "LTAC" means a category of special hospital that provides acute care through a broad spectrum of clinical care services for acutely ill/medically complex patients requiring, on average, a 25-day or greater length of stay. A long-term acute care hospital may either be freestanding or a hospital within a hospital in accordance with the definitions identified at N.J.A.C. 8:43G-1.3(b)2 i and ii.
"Medically indigent" means those individuals lacking third party insurance coverage whose income is less than or equal to 200 percent of the United States Department of Health and Human Services Income Poverty Guidelines, 42 U.S.C. § 9902(2).
"Special hospital" means any hospital that provides for the comprehensive specialized diagnosis, care, treatment, and rehabilitation, where applicable, on an inpatient basis for one or more specific categories and for a hospital that provides long-term acute care through a broad spectrum of clinical care services for acutely ill/medically complex patients requiring, on average, a 25-day or greater length of stay. Special hospitals do not include hospitals or hospital units providing comprehensive rehabilitation services and licensed as Comprehensive Rehabilitation Hospitals by the Department.
N.J. Admin. Code § 8:33F-1.2