1. (a) The Health Systems Planning Unit may employ the most effective and practical means necessary to fulfill the purposes of this chapter, which may include, but need not be limited to:

   1. (1) Collecting patient-level outpatient data from health care facilities, as defined in section 19a-630, and birth centers, as defined in section 19a-490;
   2. (2) Establishing a cooperative data collection effort, across public and private sectors, to assure that adequate health care personnel demographics are readily available; and
   3. (3) Performing the duties and functions as enumerated in subsection (b) of this section.

2. (b) The unit shall:

   1. (1) Authorize and oversee the collection of data required to carry out the provisions of this chapter; (2) oversee and coordinate health system planning for the state; (3) monitor health care costs; and (4) implement and oversee health care reform as enacted by the General Assembly.
3. (c) The Commissioner of Health Strategy, or any person the commissioner designates, may conduct a hearing and render a final decision in any case when a hearing is required or authorized under the provisions of any statute dealing with the Health Systems Planning Unit.

(May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-3, S. 8, 28; P.A. 95-257, S. 37, 58; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-8, S. 28, 88; P.A. 98-36, S. 3; 98-87, S. 2; P.A. 99-172, S. 1, 7; P.A. 05-151, S. 1; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 3; P.A. 18-91, S. 16; P.A. 23-147, S. 5; P.A. 24-81, S. 199.)

History: May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-3 effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-257 deleted former Subsec. (b) re responsibility for a state health regulation and financing plan, and former Subsec. (d) re a working group to study a regional health care plan, relettered the remaining Subsecs. accordingly and amended new Subsec. (b) by requiring coordination with the Health Care Data Institute and by adding new Subdiv. (4) re continuing the functions and duties of chapter 368c and renumbering the remaining Subdiv. and added new Subsec. (c) re hearings and decisions by a designee, effective July 1, 1995; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-8 made technical changes in Subsec. (b) reflecting the abolishment of the Connecticut Health Care Data Institute, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-36 made a technical correction, changing reference to sections to “this chapter”; P.A. 98-87 amended Subsec. (a) to add Subdivs. (1) and (2) re collecting data, changed “shall” to “may” and changed section reference to chapter reference; P.A. 99-172 made a technical change in Subsec. (c) and added Subsecs. (d) re graduate medical education and (e) re reports, effective June 23, 1999; P.A. 05-151 deleted Subsecs. (d) and (e) re graduate medical education reporting requirements; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsec. (c) by substituting Commissioner of Public Health for Commissioner of Health Care Access, effective October 6, 2009; P.A. 18-91 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “Office of Health Care Access” with “Health Systems Planning Unit”, amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “office” with “unit” and amended Subsec. (c) by replacing references to Commissioner of Public Health with references to executive director of the Office of Health Strategy, and replaced “Office of Health Care Access” with “Health Systems Planning Unit”, effective May 14, 2018; P.A. 23-147 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by deleting reference to institutions and adding reference to birth centers; P.A. 24-81 amended Subsec. (c) by replacing references to executive director of the Office of Health Strategy with references to Commissioner of Health Strategy, effective May 30, 2024.