Bill > HB1152

This bill addresses a specific situation involving health care facilities that have converted from acute care or critical access hospitals to rural emergency hospitals and have subsequently relinquished their certificate of need (CON) or license for inpatient psychiatric services. It allows the State Department of Health to license psychiatric inpatient beds as a separate entity from the rural emergency hospital, provided that the new applicant is associated with the rural emergency hospital. The bill requires the department to issue a separate certificate of need to the new entity and mandates that the rural emergency hospital and the psychiatric facility maintain separation in facilities, licensure, operations, finances, and governance. A certificate of need (CON) is a regulatory process that requires healthcare providers to obtain approval before making certain changes to their facilities or services, typically to control healthcare costs and prevent unnecessary duplication of services. This bill provides a pathway for facilities that have undergone a specific type of conversion to maintain psychiatric inpatient services, potentially helping to preserve access to mental health care in rural areas. The bill will take effect on July 1, 2025.

Health and Social Services

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/HB/HB1152.xml