A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT exempting hospice inpatient facilities from certificate of need review.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 131E‑176 reads as rewritten:
"§ 131E‑176.  Definitions.
As used in this Article, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following terms have the meanings specified:
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(2)	"Bed capacity" means space used exclusively for inpatient care, including space designed or remodeled for licensed inpatient beds even though temporarily not used for such purposes. The number of beds to be counted in any patient room shall be the maximum number for which adequate square footage is provided as established by rules of the Department except that single beds in single rooms are counted even if the room contains inadequate square footage. The term "bed capacity" also refers to the number of dialysis stations in kidney disease treatment centers, including freestanding dialysis units. The term "bed capacity" does not include space used as a hospice inpatient facility.
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(9b)	"Health service facility" means a hospital; long‑term care hospital; psychiatric facility; rehabilitation facility; nursing home facility; adult care home; kidney disease treatment center, including freestanding hemodialysis units; intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded; home health agency office; chemical dependency treatment facility; diagnostic center; hospice office or hospice residential care facility; and ambulatory surgical facility.
(9c)	"Health service facility bed" means a bed licensed for use in a health service facility in the categories of (i) acute care beds; (ii) psychiatric beds; (iii) rehabilitation beds; (iv) nursing home beds; (v) intermediate care beds for the mentally retarded; (vi) chemical dependency treatment beds; (vii) hospice residential care facility beds; (viii) adult care home beds; and (ix) long‑term care hospital beds.
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(13b)	"Hospice inpatient facility" means a freestanding licensed hospice facility or a designated inpatient unit in an existing health service facility which provides palliative and supportive medical and other health services to meet the physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and special needs of terminally ill patients and their families in an inpatient setting.
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(16)	"New institutional health services" means any of the following:
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n.	The construction, development or other establishment of a hospice or hospice residential care facility;
o.	The opening of an additional office by an existing home health agency or hospice, not including a hospice inpatient facility, within its service area as defined by rules adopted by the Department; or the opening of any office by an existing home health agency or hospice, not including a hospice inpatient facility, outside its service area as defined by rules adopted by the Department.
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SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law. Any hospice inpatient facility which had operated under a certificate of need prior to the effective date of this act shall be exempt from certificate of need review after the effective date of this act.