Facility Licensing and Transfers of Ownership
The number and nature of healthcare facilities requiring licensure is steadily increasing. In New Jersey alone, there are nearly 40 types of facilities requiring licensure with the state. Operating a licensed facility not only ensures compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, but also helps maximize insurance reimbursement in a variety of ways.
The facility licensure process is daunting to even the most experienced and savvy healthcare operator. Our experience is such that we can guide our clients through the intricacies of the licensure process, thus expediting the process and allowing our clients to focus on delivering high-quality services in a safe facility as soon as possible.
We routinely advise clients in the licensure of various facilities, including:
- Ambulatory Surgery Centers
- Office-Based Surgical Facilities
- Ambulatory Care Facilities
- Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facilities
- Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Centers
- Urgent Care Facilities
- Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities
- Skilled Nursing Facilities
- Specialty Hospitals
- Residential Healthcare Facilities
Supporting Facilities After Licensure
In addition to representing clients in the organization, licensure, acquisition, and/or sale of licensed and/or accredited healthcare facilities, we provide ongoing operational and legal support. We regularly advise both startup facility operators and established facilities on issues related to clinical program development, operations, staffing, client rights/grievances, regulatory compliance, and the prevention of fraud and abuse.
Focusing on SUD Treatment and Behavioral Health Facilities
Our country—and New Jersey in particular—is in the throes of an opioid epidemic that is unprecedented in scope and devastating in intensity. Despite this, individuals struggling with some of the most severe substance use disorders are not receiving appropriate treatment.
More than half of all substance abuse cases involve dual-diagnosis patients, meaning that a substance use disorder (SUD) exists in tandem with a mental health disorder. Dual-diagnosis SUD treatment is more extensive and complex than standard SUD treatment. It addresses the mental health symptoms that can reach extremes when substance use disorders develop alongside them. Among the many factors influencing the ongoing opioid crisis, a lack of effective dual-diagnosis treatment is significant.
Over the course of the last 10 years, our firm has played a prominent role in improving access to dual-diagnosis care by representing behavioral health facilities, including outpatient SUD treatment facilities, outpatient mental health facilities, residential SUD treatment facilities, and integrated healthcare facilities, in all matters of licensure, contracting, and accreditation. We routinely counsel both startup facility operators and established behavioral health systems on issues related to program development, facility operations, staffing, client rights/grievances, regulatory compliance, reportable events, the prevention of fraud and abuse, and mergers and acquisitions.
- Posted on: Dec 22 2017