Mississippi Administrative Code
Title 15 - Mississippi Department of Health
Part 8 - Office of Health Policy and Planning
Subpart 90 - Planning and Resource Development
Chapter 01 - Introduction
Section 15-8-90-01-102 - General Certificate of Need Policies

Mississippi's health planning and health regulatory activities have the following purposes:

* To improve the health of Mississippi residents;

* To increase the accessibility, acceptability, continuity, and quality of health services;

* To prevent unnecessary duplication of health resources; and

* To provide cost containment.

MSDH intends to approve an application for CON if it substantially complies with the projected need and with the applicable criteria and standards presented in this Plan, and to disapprove all CON applications which do not substantially comply with the projected need or with applicable criteria and standards presented in this Plan.

MSDH intends to disapprove CON applications which fail to confirm that the applicant shall provide a reasonable amount of indigent care or if the applicant's admission policies deny or discourage access to care by indigent patients. Furthermore, MSDH intends to disapprove CON applications if such approval would have a significant adverse effect on the ability of an existing facility or service to provide Medicaid/indigent care. Finally, it is the intent of the Mississippi State Department of Health to strictly adhere to the criteria set forth in the State Health Plan and to ensure that any provider desiring to offer healthcare services covered by the Certificate of Need statutes undergoes review and is issued a Certificate of Need prior to offering such services.

The State Health Officer shall determine whether the amount of indigent care provided or proposed to be offered is "reasonable." The Department considers a reasonable amount of indigent care as that which is comparable to the amount of such care offered by other providers of the requested service within the same, or proximate, geographic area.

MSDH may use a variety of statistical methodologies including, but not limited to, market share analysis or patient origin data to determine substantial compliance with projected need and with applicable criteria and standards in this Plan.