Purpose

Purpose. This Manual governs the administration of the Mississippi Certificate of Need Program by MSDH. The purpose of this Manual is to establish procedures, administrative standards, review criteria, and interpretive provisions for the administration of the Certificate of Need Program. This Manual is intended to: 1. Provide orderly procedures for filing, reviewing, and deciding CON applications; 2. Establish procedures for Determinations of Reviewability, Emergency Certificates of Need, Change of Ownership Reviews, and other administrative determinations; 3. Provide procedures for public notice, public comment, hearings, appeals, and post-approval administration; 4. Establish general review criteria applicable to CON applications; 5. Clarify administrative interpretations necessary for consistent application of the CON statutes; and 6. Distinguish administrative rules and procedures from planning methodologies and service-specific standards contained in the State Health Plan.