Certificate of Need

The Certificate of Need (CON) is a regulatory process that requires certain healthcare providers to obtain state approval before offering specific new or expanded services. A CON would be required, for example, if a hospital wishes to establish a comprehensive medical rehabilitation program.

The CON process is intended to help ensure that new services proposed by healthcare providers are needed for quality patient care within a particular region or community. The program also prevents unnecessary duplication of services by selecting the best proposal among competing applicants who wish to provide a particular health service.

CON in Florida regulates hospice, skilled nursing, intermediate care for the developmentally disabled, the development of new hospitals and certain hospital services. The CON does not regulate outpatient services, home health services or the purchase of major medical equipment.

The Florida legislature placed a moratorium on the issuance of CON’s for additional community nursing home beds beginning 2001 remaining effective until July 1, 2006. The legislature extended the moratorium in July 2006 until July 1, 2011. The Florida legislature took this course of action because the continued growth in the Medicaid budget for nursing home care constrained the ability of the state to meet the needs of its elderly residents through the use of less restrictive and less institutional methods of long-term care.

For more information on Florida’s CON process, please visit Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration for more information.