1. (a) The Health Systems Planning Unit shall conduct, on a biennial basis, a state-wide health care facility utilization study. Such study may include an assessment of:

   1. (1) Current availability and utilization of acute hospital care, hospital emergency care, specialty hospital care, outpatient surgical care, primary care and clinic care; (2) geographic areas and subpopulations that may be underserved or have reduced access to specific types of health care services; and (3) other factors that the unit deems pertinent to health care facility utilization. Not later than June thirtieth of the year in which the biennial study is conducted, the Commissioner of Health Strategy shall report, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the Governor and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health and human services on the findings of the study. Such report may also include the unit's recommendations for addressing identified gaps in the provision of health care services and recommendations concerning a lack of access to health care services.

2. (b) The unit, in consultation with such other state agencies as the commissioner deems appropriate, shall establish and maintain a state-wide health care facilities and services plan. Such plan may include, but not be limited to:

   1. (1) An assessment of the availability of acute hospital care, hospital emergency care, specialty hospital care, outpatient surgical care, primary care and clinic care; (2) an evaluation of the unmet needs of persons at risk and vulnerable populations as determined by the commissioner; (3) a projection of future demand for health care services and the impact that technology may have on the demand, capacity or need for such services; and (4) recommendations for the expansion, reduction or modification of health care facilities or services. In the development of the plan, the unit shall consider the recommendations of any advisory bodies which may be established by the commissioner. The commissioner may also incorporate the recommendations of authoritative organizations whose mission is to promote policies based on best practices or evidence-based research. The commissioner, in consultation with hospital representatives, shall develop a process that encourages hospitals to incorporate the state-wide health care facilities and services plan into hospital long-range planning and shall facilitate communication between appropriate state agencies concerning innovations or changes that may affect future health planning. The unit shall update the state-wide health care facilities and services plan not less than once every two years.

3. (c) For purposes of conducting the state-wide health care facility utilization study and preparing the state-wide health care facilities and services plan, the unit shall establish and maintain an inventory of all health care facilities, the equipment identified in subdivisions (9) and (10) of subsection (a) of section 19a-638, and services in the state, including health care facilities that are exempt from certificate of need requirements under subsection (b) of section 19a-638. The unit shall develop an inventory questionnaire to obtain the following information:

   1. (1) The name and location of the facility; (2) the type of facility; (3) the hours of operation; (4) the type of services provided at that location; and (5) the total number of clients, treatments, patient visits, procedures performed or scans performed in a calendar year. The inventory shall be completed biennially by health care facilities and providers and such health care facilities and providers shall not be required to provide patient specific or financial data.

(P.A. 73-117, S. 8, 31; P.A. 75-562, S. 4, 8; P.A. 77-192, S. 5, 13; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-11, S. 14, 25; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 45, 58; P.A. 09-77, S. 1; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 8; P.A. 10-18, S. 12; 10-179, S. 85; P.A. 11-183, S. 3; P.A. 12-170, S. 5; P.A. 18-91, S. 24; P.A. 24-81, S. 205.)

History: P.A. 75-562 required that recommendations be made to health commissioner rather than to governor and general assembly; P.A. 77-192 required consultation with state bureau of health planning and development and deleted commission's duty to formulate state-wide health care program for improving delivery of services; Sec. 19-73h transferred to Sec. 19a-150 in 1983; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-11 replaced reference to “state bureau of health planning and development” with department of health services, replaced utilization review with utilization study, and added Subsec. (b) requiring the commission to establish and maintain a state-wide health care facilities plan; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced “commission” with “Office of Health Care Access” and “office” and “Department of Public Health and Addiction Services” with “Department of Public Health”, effective July 1, 1995; Sec. 19a-150 transferred to Sec. 19a-634 in 1997; P.A. 09-77 amended Subsec. (a) by eliminating Department of Public Health's consultative role in conducting annual state-wide health care facility utilization study and by revising scope of study, and amended Subsec. (b) by expanding commissioner's authority to incorporate recommendations of other agencies and entities in developing state-wide health care facilities plan, by revising scope of plan and by requiring that plan be updated on or before July 1, 2012, and every five years thereafter, effective July 1, 2009; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “Commissioner of Health Care Access” with “office”, by replacing “commissioner” with “Commissioner of Public Health” and by replacing “commissioner's” with “office's” and amended Subsec. (b) by substituting Commissioner of Public Health for Commissioner of Health Care Access, effective October 6, 2009; P.A. 10-18 made a technical change in Subsec. (b)(1); P.A. 10-179 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “state-wide health care facilities plan” with “state-wide health care facilities and services plan” and added Subsec. (c) re inventory of health care facilities, equipment and services; P.A. 11-183 amended Subsec. (c) by making a technical change, effective July 13, 2011; P.A. 12-170 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “annual” with “biennial” re study and “shall” with “may” re assessments to be included and making technical changes and amended Subsec. (b) by replacing provision requiring update to plan every 5 years with provision requiring update once every 2 years; P.A. 18-91 replaced references to Office of Health Care Access with references to Health Systems Planning Unit, and replaced references to Commissioner of Public Health with references to executive director of Office of Health Strategy, effective May 14, 2018; P.A. 24-81 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) by replacing references to executive director of the Office of Health Strategy with references to Commissioner of Health Strategy, effective May 30, 2024.