(A) The provisions of this article do not apply to:
(1) health care facilities owned and operated by the federal government;
(2) the offices of a licensed private practitioner whether for individual or group practice except as provided for in Section 44-7-160(7);
(3) the acquisition by a health care facility of medical equipment to be used solely for research, the offering of an institutional health service by a health care facility solely for research, or the obligation of a capital expenditure by a health care facility to be made solely for research if it does not (a) affect the charges of the facility for the provision of medical or other patient care services other than the services which are included in the research; (b) change the bed capacity of the facility; or (c) substantially change the medical or other patient care services of the facility. A written description of the proposed research project must be submitted to the department in order for the department to determine if the above conditions are met. A Certificate of Need is required in order to continue use of the equipment or service after research restrictions are removed;
(4) purchases of or agreements to purchase real estate; however, the costs associated with the purchase of real estate must be included in determining the total project cost at the time the real estate is proposed to be developed.
(B) The Certificate of Need provisions of this article do not apply to:
(1) an expenditure by or on behalf of a health care facility for nonmedical projects for services such as refinancing existing debt, parking garages, laundries, roof replacements, computer systems, telephone systems, heating and air conditioning systems, upgrading facilities which do not involve additional square feet or additional health services, replacement of like equipment with similar capabilities, or similar projects as described in regulations;
(2) facilities owned and operated by the State Department of Mental Health and the South Carolina Department of Mental Retardation, except an addition of one or more beds to the total number of beds of the departments' health care facilities existing on July 1, 1988;
(3) educational and penal institutions maintaining infirmaries for the exclusive use of student bodies and inmate populations;
(4) any federal health care facility sponsored and operated by this State;
(5) community-based housing designed to promote independent living for persons with mental or physical disabilities. This does not include a facility defined in this article as a "health care facility".
(6) kidney disease treatment centers including, but not limited to, free standing hemodialysis centers and renal dialysis centers.