Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024
Section 65-16-4 - Exemption Procedure4.1. Each acute care facility seeking an exemption pursuant to this rule, must file with the board a letter of intent at least fifteen (15) days before the submission of the application. The letter of intent shall contain sufficient information to advise the board of the nature of the exemption sought and outline the grounds for such exemption.4.2. Upon receipt of the letter of intent, the board shall publish a notice in the Saturday Charleston newspapers and the State Register. The notice shall identify the legal entity seeking an exemption, the type of exemption requested, and a description of the proposal. The notice shall also state the rights of affected parties to a hearing.4.3. In order to obtain the exemption, each acute care facility must file an application with the board no sooner than the fifteenth day or later than the thirtieth day following the filing of the letter of intent. The application shall identify the hospitals and all other entities involved in the proposal, identify the equipment to be acquired and the services to be provided, the fair market value of the equipment to be provided, the capital expenditures to be made by each hospital, each hospital's annual operating expenses for each of the first three (3) years of operation of the shared services, the proposed schedule for the equipment's use at each hospital, a complete list of all persons and/or entities with an ownership interest in the equipment and a complete list of all persons with an ownership interest in the entity which owns the equipment, a complete list of all physicians with admitting privileges at the facility, and the proposed charges to the patient for the service. The application shall contain a verification signed by the chief executive officer and the person or persons who prepared the application.4.4. Upon receipt of the application, the board shall determine within fifteen (15) days whether or not the application is complete. If the application is not complete, the board may request additional information. Upon receipt of that additional information, the board has fifteen (15) days within which to determine if the application is complete. Upon determining that the application is complete and after the date has passed in which an affected person may request a hearing, the board shall publish a notice in the Saturday Charleston newspapers, the State Register, and a newspaper of general circulation within the area of the facility. The notice shall identify the applicants, shall describe the proposal, and shall, if a hearing on the exemption has been requested, state the time, place, and date of the hearing.4.5. If a hearing has not been requested, then following the publication of the notice in the Saturday Charleston newspapers and the State Register and a newspaper of general circulation within the area of the facility, the board shall within ten (10) days issue a written decision on the application which decision is a final decision. The board shall publish notice of the decision in the Saturday Charleston newspapers, the State Register and a newspaper of general circulation within the area of the facility. The applicant shall not acquire or contract for the major medical equipment until after entry of a final decision by the board.4.6. If a hearing has been requested by an affected party, the board shall follow the provisions of subsections 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 of this legislative rule.4.7. In order to be effective, the request for a hearing must be from an affected party and must be filed in writing with the board within ten (10) days of the publication of the notice in the Saturday Charleston newspapers as required by subsection 4.2.