Chapter 17
Licensing of Healthcare Facilities

Index of Sections

§ 23-17-1. Short title.

§ 23-17-2. Definitions.

§ 23-17-3. Purpose of provisions.

§ 23-17-4. License required for healthcare facility operation.

§ 23-17-4.1. Rules and regulations for school-based health centers.

§ 23-17-5. Application for license.

§ 23-17-5.1. Additional information required of nursing facility applicants for initial licensure or change of ownership.

§ 23-17-5.2. Additional information required for license renewal of all nursing facilities.

§ 23-17-6. Issuance of license — Posting — Transfer — Conditions.

§ 23-17-7. Expiration and renewal of license.

§ 23-17-8. Denial, suspension, or revocation of license.

§ 23-17-8.1. Curtailment of activities.

§ 23-17-9. Judicial review of license action.

§ 23-17-10. Regulations, inspections, and investigations — Certain hospitals required to provide on-premises coverage by physician — Uniform reports — Data systems.

§ 23-17-10.1. Financial regulation of health maintenance organizations.

§ 23-17-10.2. Full financial disclosure by hospitals and freestanding emergency-care facilities.

§ 23-17-10.3. Special care unit disclosure by facilities.

§ 23-17-10.4. Rehabilitation special care unit and sub-acute special care unit disclosure by facilities.

§ 23-17-10.5. Medical director and attending physician file.

§ 23-17-10.6. Nursing facility wandering hazard prevention plans.

§ 23-17-10.7. Nursing facility assessment and disclosure for residents on probation or parole.

§ 23-17-11. Abortion and sterilization — Protection for nonparticipation — Procedure.

§ 23-17-12. Inspections — Nursing facilities.

§ 23-17-12.1. Scope of inspections.

§ 23-17-12.2. Time for correction of defects.

§ 23-17-12.3. Penalty for violation of §§ 23-17-12 — 23-17-12.2.

§ 23-17-12.4. Enforcement of §§ 23-17-12 — 23-17-12.2.

§ 23-17-12.5. Complaints — Nursing homes.

§ 23-17-12.6. Independent quality monitor, quality consultant and temporary manager.

§ 23-17-12.7. Adverse change in financial condition.

§ 23-17-12.8. Posting of nursing staff levels in nursing facilities.

§ 23-17-12.9. Resident and family notification.

§ 23-17-12.10. Quality predictive modeling — Established.

§ 23-17-12.11. Nursing facility quality improvement program.

§ 23-17-13. Repealed.

§ 23-17-13.1. Health services council.

§ 23-17-14. Functions of health services council.

§ 23-17-14.1. Immunity for council members.

§ 23-17-14.2. Compensation.

§ 23-17-14.3. Review criteria.

§ 23-17-14.4. Procedures for review.

§ 23-17-15. Information confidential.

§ 23-17-15.1. Reports public.

§ 23-17-16. Annual report of activities.

§ 23-17-17. Penalty for operation of unlicensed health care facility.

§ 23-17-18. Obtaining treatment or services under false pretenses.

§ 23-17-19. Injunction to restrain operation without license.

§ 23-17-19.1. Rights of patients.

§ 23-17-19.2. Posting of law.

§ 23-17-19.3. Patients’ visitation rights.

§ 23-17-20. Inapplicability.

§ 23-17-21. Power of enforcement.

§ 23-17-22. Severability.

§ 23-17-23. Hospital disciplinary powers.

§ 23-17-24. Internal risk management program.

§ 23-17-25. Privileges and immunities for peer review activities.

§ 23-17-26. Emergency health care.

§ 23-17-27. Disclosure of nonparticipation in hospital service plan.

§ 23-17-28. Health care cost containment.

§ 23-17-29. Applicability.

§ 23-17-30. Blood or tissue transfer services.

§ 23-17-31. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing — Hospitals.

§ 23-17-31.1. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing — Facilities for drug users.

§ 23-17-32. Mammograms — Quality assurance standards.

§ 23-17-33. Pap smears — Quality assurance standards.

§ 23-17-34. Criminal records review — Nursing facilities — Home nursing-care providers and home-care providers.

§ 23-17-35. Prior criminal records checks.

§ 23-17-36. Rules and regulations.

§ 23-17-37. Disqualifying information.

§ 23-17-38. Establishment of fees.

§ 23-17-38.1. Hospitals — Licensing fee.

§ 23-17-39. Immunity from liability.

§ 23-17-40. Hospital and freestanding emergency-care facility events reporting.

§ 23-17-41. Employer/employee relationships.

§ 23-17-42. Home nursing care providers — Uncompensated care provisions.

§ 23-17-43. Charity care requirements.

§ 23-17-44. Moratorium on new initial nursing-facility licensed beds and on increases to the licensed capacity of existing nursing-facility licenses.

§ 23-17-45. Quality standards for volume related tertiary services.

§ 23-17-46. Financial interest disclosure.

§ 23-17-47. Identification badges.

§ 23-17-48. Labor disputes/actions.

§ 23-17-49. Surgical procedures — General provisions.

§ 23-17-49.1. Workplace and patient safety — Evacuation of surgical smoke plume required in operating rooms.

§ 23-17-50. Physician ambulatory-surgery center — Accreditation, survey, complaint investigation, and exemptions.

§ 23-17-51. Magnetic resonance imaging — Quality assurance standards.

§ 23-17-52. Department of health concern line.

§ 23-17-53. Physician contracts

§ 23-17-54. Provisions of interpreter services.

§ 23-17-55. Severability.

§ 23-17-56. School based health centers — Special requirements and exceptions.

§ 23-17-57. Podiatry ambulatory-surgery center — Accreditation, survey, complaint investigation, and exemptions.

§ 23-17-58. Documentation of pre-hospital and pre-freestanding emergency-care facility exposure of emergency medical services workers.

§ 23-17-59. Safe patient handling.

§ 23-17-60. Compilation and publication of the charges for common hospital procedures.

§ 23-17-61. Written estimates for hospital medical services.

§ 23-17-62. Criminal records review — Long-term care hospital.

§ 23-17-63. Patient safety — Circulating nurses required in operating rooms.

§ 23-17-64. Influenza immunization.

§ 23-17-65. Transparency of ownership in healthcare facilities.

§ 23-17-66. Protocols for the early recognition and treatment of patients with sepsis/severe sepsis/septic shock.

§ 23-17-67. Hospital determinations for Medicare and Medicaid for uninsured patients. [Effective January 1, 2025.]