Section 127160 Of Chapter 1. Health Planning From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 107. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1.
127160
. The office shall adopt regulations setting forth statewide
policies for area health planning agencies in the performance of
their responsibilities under Section 127155.
In adopting the regulations, the office shall, with the advice of
the Advisory Health Council, consider the following factors, and may
consider other factors not inconsistent with the following:
(a) The need for health care services in the area and the
requirements of the population to be served, including evaluation of
current utilization patterns.
(b) The availability and adequacy of health care services in the
area's existing facilities that currently conform to federal and
state standards.
(c) The availability and adequacy of services in the area such as
preadmission, ambulatory or home care services that may serve as
alternatives or substitutes for care in health facilities.
(d) The possible economies and improvement in service that may be
derived from the following:
(1) Operation of joint, cooperative, or shared health care
resources.
(2) Maximum utilization of health facilities consistent with the
appropriate levels of care, including, but not limited to, intensive
care, acute general care, and skilled nursing care.
(3) Development of medical group practices, especially those
providing services appropriately coordinated or integrated with
institutional health service, and development of health maintenance
organizations.
(e) The development of comprehensive services for the community to
be served. These services may be either direct or indirect through
formal affiliation with other health programs in the area, and
include preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation
services. Preference shall be given to health facilities that will
provide the most comprehensive health services and include outpatient
and other integrated services useful and convenient to the operation
of the facility and the community.
(f) The needs or reasonably anticipated needs of special
populations, including members of a comprehensive group practice
prepayment health care service plan, members of a religious body or
denomination who desire to receive care and treatment in accordance
with their religious conviction, or persons otherwise contracted or
enrolled under extended health care arrangements, including life-care
agreements pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 1770),
Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code.
(g) The special needs and circumstances of those entities that
provide a substantial portion of their services or resources, or
both, to individuals not residing in the health service areas where
the entities are located. These entities may include medical and
other health professional schools, multidisciplinary clinics, and
specialty centers.
With respect to the determination of unmet need in the community
or the adverse effect of new or expanded surgical clinics on the
utilization of operating rooms in hospitals, it is not the intent of
the Legislature to limit the expansion of surgical clinics when the
hospitals have not made efforts to fully utilize their ambulatory
operating capacity and to provide ambulatory surgical services at a
reasonable cost to the community.