Georgia Administrative Code

If the hospital provides surgical services, the services shall be provided in a manner which protects the health and safety of the patients and follows current accepted standards of medical and surgical practice. Personnel, equipment, policies and procedures, and the number of op…

Any hospital offering surgical or obstetrical services shall have an organized anesthesia service which shall be responsible for all anesthesia delivered at the hospital. The anesthesia services will be provided in a manner which protects the health and safety of patients in acco…

If the hospital provides nuclear medicine services, those services shall be organized and effective. The nuclear medicine services shall be provided in a manner consistent with applicable state laws and regulations and generally accepted standards of practice. (a) Radioactive mat…

The hospital shall provide, within its capabilities, services to persons in need of emergency care. (a) Full-time Emergency Services. If the hospital offers emergency care as an organized service and/or holds itself out to the public as offering emergency services, the service sh…

Outpatient services offered by the hospital, including but not limited to ambulatory care services and off-campus clinics, shall be integrated with other hospital services and systems and shall be provided in accordance with applicable rules in this Chapter for the specific servi…

The hospital shall define the scope of rehabilitation services provided to patients. The hospital may offer limited or comprehensive rehabilitation services including such services as physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, speech-language pathology, or other services.…

(1) No later than 90 days after the effective date of these rules, if the hospital offers an organized service for the provision of care for expectant mothers and newborns, it shall clearly define the level of services provided according to the levels described in these rules (ba…

Any hospital providing care to infants and children shall have facilities, equipment, and policies and procedures specific to the provision of services for pediatric patients. (a) Hospital policies shall define the ages of patients considered to be appropriate for pediatric servi…

(1) If the hospital provides acute inpatient dialysis services or outpatient services either directly or through contract arrangements, the scope and organization of those services shall be defined. (2) Organization and Administration of Renal Dialysis Services. The hospital shal…

(1) If the hospital provides psychiatric and/or substance abuse treatment services as an organized service, the scope of those services, including whether the services are provided for inpatients, outpatients, or both, shall be defined in the hospital's application for permit and…

Critical access hospitals (CAHs) shall be required to comply with the entirety of this chapter, as applicable to the scope of services offered, with the following exceptions and/or additions: (a) Prior to application for a hospital permit, the hospital shall be approved for criti…

Rural Free Standing Emergency Departments shall be required to comply with the entirety of this chapter, as applicable to the scope of services offered by the Rural Free Standing Emergency Department, with the following exceptions and/or additions: (a) The Rural Free Standing Eme…

(1) General. The hospital shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the needs of the patients being served. (a) The design and construction specifications for the hospital shall conform to those nationally accepted standards for hospital design and construction as set …

A hospital may request a waiver or variance of a specific rule by application on forms provided by the Department. A waiver or variance may be granted in accordance with the following considerations: (a) The Department may grant or deny the request for waiver or variance at its d…

A hospital that fails to comply with these rules and regulations shall be subject to sanctions and/or permit revocation as provided by law. The enforcement and administration of these rules and regulations shall be as prescribed in the Rules and Regulations for General Licensing …

In the event that any rule, sentence, clause or phrase of any of these rules and regulations may be construed by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, unconstitutional, or otherwise unenforceable, such determination or adjudication shall in no manner affect …

These rules are adopted and published pursuant to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) § 31-7-22 et seq. (effective Oct. 1, 2019).

These rules shall apply to all Hospitals, any Affiliate, and any Subsidiary as defined in these Rules. This information is provided with the intent to give healthcare consumers the tools to make an informed decision in selecting a hospital.

As used in these Rules, the term (1) "Administrative Position" shall mean a non-clinical hospital employee or contractor, which shall include, but is not limited to, a management company or similar entity, with a gross annual salary or payment of $100,000 or more. (2) "Affiliate"…

Beginning October 1, 2019, each Hospital in this state shall make public the most recent version of the following subject documents: (1) Federal related disclosures: (A) Copies of audited financial statements that are general purpose financial statements, which express the unqual…

(1) Each Hospital shall post a Link entitled "Hospital Transparency Information" in a prominent location on the main page of its website to the documents listed in Rule on July 1 of each year or more frequently at its discretion. Documents from prior years shall remain posted and…

(1) Any Hospital that fails to post the documents required by these Rules within 30 days of the dates required in this Rule section shall be suspended from receiving any State Funds or any donations pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 48-7-29.20; provided, however, that the department shall p…

Unless a different meaning is required by the context, the following terms as used in these rules and regulations shall have the meaning hereinafter respectively ascribed to them; except, however, same do not apply to facilities owned or operated by the federal government: (a) An…

(1) There shall be a governing body which assumes full legal responsibility for the overall conduct of the facility. (2) The ownership of the facility shall be fully disclosed to the Department. In the case of corporations, partnerships and other bodies created by statute, the co…

(1) Each intermediate care home shall be under the supervision of a licensed nursing home administrator. An administrator may serve as the administrator of not more than one facility, except that two facilities having common ownership or management located on the same premises ma…

(1) A registered nurse, licensed undergraduate nurse, or a licensed practical nurse, shall be employed full time as supervisor of care. (2) In addition to the supervisor of care, there shall be sufficient staff members on duty at all times to assure each resident proper care acco…

(1) Residents shall be admitted only on medical evaluation and referral. (2) Each resident's health care is under the continuing supervision of a physician who sees the resident as needed and in no case less often than sixty (60) days, unless justified otherwise and documented by…

(1) If an intermediate care home accepts or retains residents in need of medically prescribed special diets, the menus for such diets shall be planned by a qualified dietitian (American Dietetic Association or equivalent qualifications), or shall be reviewed and approved in writi…

(1) Each home shall provide services to assist all residents in dealing with social and related problems through one or more caseworkers on the staff of the facility or through arrangements with an appropriate outside agency. (2) Social service information concerning each residen…

Each facility shall insure that the handling of patient medication is in full compliance with state and federal laws and regulations.

(1) When a home has a physical therapy program, the services must be provided or directly supervised by a physical therapist. (2) A therapy record will be kept as part of the health folder on each resident receiving physical therapy. Information in the health folder shall include…

(1) Each resident shall have a physician's written statement of his or her condition at time of admission or within forty-eight (48) hours thereafter and it shall be kept on file in the resident's health folder. (a) Physicians' prescriptions for medications for residents needing …

(1) There shall be an individual health folder for each resident including: (a) The name, address and telephone number of his physician and dentist; (b) A record of the physician's findings and recommendations including the preadmission evaluation of the resident's condition and …

(1) Resident beds shall be single, at least thirty-six (36) inches wide, with firm even springs covered by a mattress not less than four inches thick. (2) The home shall provide all linens and blankets essential to the treatment and comfort of residents. (3) Wheelchairs and walke…

(1) All buildings and equipment shall be maintained in such condition that no hazards to the life and safety of the patients exist. (2) Adequate parking shall be available nearby. Parking areas and service entrances shall be so designated that fire fighting equipment will have un…

(1) Equipment and supplies for proper sanitation will be maintained on the premises. (2) Laundry shall be handled, stored and processed so that spread of infection will be minimized. A sufficient clean linen supply shall be insured at all times. Soiled linen shall not be permitte…

(1) Health Screenings. Each home shall have in place a health screening program designed to identify conditions that may place residents at risk for infection, injury, or improper care. The program shall include requirements and processes for initial, routine, and targeted health…

(1) An individual shall be designated as being in charge of resident activities. This individual shall have experience and/or training in group activities, or shall have consultation made available from a qualified recreational therapist or group activity leader. (2) Provisions s…

(1) The number of beds provided shall be indicated on each permit and provisional permit. (2) The number of residents receiving care within the home shall not exceed the number of beds shown on the permit. In exceptional cases, temporary waivers, not to exceed thirty (30) days, m…

(1) Requirements under this rule "Physical Plant Standards" will be enforced with the effective date of these regulations. In exceptional cases and upon application to the Department by the governing body of the home, variances may be granted at the discretion of the Department i…

(1) The governing body shall submit to the Department an application for a permit. (2) The application for a permit shall be made on forms provided by the Department and shall be filed at least thirty (30) days prior to the anticipated date of opening and commencement of operatio…

(1) To be eligible for a permit the home must be in satisfactory compliance with these rules and regulations and the provisions at law which apply to the locations, construction, and maintenance of homes and the safety of the patients therein. (2) Prior to the issuance of a permi…

(1) Provisional permits may be granted to the governing body of a newly established home to demonstrate operational procedures in satisfactory compliance. (2) A provisional permit may be granted to the governing body of an existing home to demonstrate operational procedures in sa…

(1) The home shall be available at reasonable hours for observation and examination by properly identified representatives of the Department. (2) The administrator or authorized representative shall notify the Department of the anticipated opening date of a newly constructed home…

(1) General Requirements: (a) A program narrative and all plans and specifications for construction, including additions, alterations, and renovations, shall be approved by the Department prior to commencing work on the building; (b) The program narrative shall be submitted prior…

The administration and enforcement of these rules and regulations shall be as prescribed in O.C.G.A. § 31-2-8 and the Rules and Regulations for General Licensing and Enforcement Requirements, Chapter 111-8-25.

The legal authority for this chapter, unless otherwise noted, is "The Georgia Anatomical Gift Act," O.C.G.A. § 44-5-140.