37.106.101    DEFINITIONS

(1) For the purpose of this subchapter:

(a) "Current state health plan" means the compilation of components containing guidelines for determining need for health care facilities and services subject to certificate of need review that is most recently adopted by the governor and a statewide health coordinating council appointed by the governor; a separate component adopted by the statewide health coordinating council and the governor for a single type of service or facility is part of the current state health plan.

(b) "Health service" means a major subdivision, as determined by the department, within diagnostic, therapeutic, or rehabilitative areas of care, including alcohol, drug abuse, and mental health services, that may be provided by a health care facility. Specific treatments, tests, procedures, or techniques in the provisions of care do not, by themselves, constitute a health service.

(i) "Health service" includes radiological diagnostic health services offered in, at, through, by, or on behalf of a health care facility, including services offered in space leased or made available to any person by a health care facility except when the capital expenditure for the addition to or replacement of the same service is less than $750,000.

(c) "Major medical equipment" is defined as provided in 50-5-101 , MCA, and the department interprets the phrase "substantial sum of money" in that definition to mean "more than $750,000".

(d) "Swing bed" means a licensed hospital or medical assistance facility bed that is also certified for the provision of long-term care pursuant to 42 CFR 482.66.

(2) The following terms appear in the Montana Code Annotated, are not defined in the statutes, and are interpreted by the department to mean the following:

(a) The phrase "enforceable capital expenditure commitment", as used in 50-5-305 , MCA, means an obligation incurred by or on behalf of a health care facility when:

(i) an enforceable contract is entered into by such facility or its agent for the construction, acquisition, lease or financing of a capital asset;

(ii) a formal internal commitment of funds by such a facility which constitutes a capital expenditure; or

(iii) in the case of donated property, the date on which the gift vested.

(b) The phrase "office of a private physician, dentists or other physical or mental health care professionals, including chemical dependency counselors", used in 50-5-301 , MCA, as an exception from the definition of "health care facility", to mean the private offices of those professionals, whether practicing individually or as a group, and associated facilities that are:

(i) located on the premises of the professional's offices;

(ii) operated as an integral part of the professional's private practice; and

(iii) primarily available only to the professionals whose offices are located on the premises. Such facilities may include outpatient services and observation beds, but may not include inpatient services.

History: subsection (2) is advisory only but may be a correct interpretation of the law; Sec. 50-5-103 and 50-5-302, MCA; IMP, Sec. 50-5-101, 50-5-301, 50-5-302, 50-5-304, 50-5-305, 50-5-306, 50-5-307, 50-5-308, 50-5-309, 50-5-310, 50-5-316 and 50-5-317, MCA; NEW, 1979 MAR p. 1670, Eff. 12/28/79; AMD, 1983 MAR p. 732, Eff. 7/1/83; AMD, 1987 MAR p. 1074, Eff. 7/17/87; AMD, 1996 MAR p. 1975, Eff. 7/19/96; TRANS, from DHES, 2002 MAR p. 185.