(1) The department may accept accreditation or certification by a recognized independent accreditation body or public agency, which has standards that are at least as stringent as those of the State of Nebraska, as evidence that the health care facility or health care service complies with the rules, regulations, and standards adopted and promulgated under the Health Care Facility Licensure Act.

Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 71-438

  • Care: means the exercise of concern or responsibility for the comfort, welfare, and habilitation of persons, including a minimum amount of supervision and assistance with or the provision of personal care, activities of daily living, health maintenance activities, or other supportive services. See Nebraska Statutes 71-407
  • Department: means the Division of Public Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. See Nebraska Statutes 71-410
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Health care facility: means an ambulatory surgical center, an assisted-living facility, a center or group home for the developmentally disabled, a critical access hospital, a general acute hospital, a health clinic, a hospital, an intermediate care facility, an intermediate care facility for persons with developmental disabilities, a long-term care hospital, a mental health substance use treatment center, a nursing facility, a PACE center, a pharmacy, a psychiatric or mental hospital, a public health clinic, a rehabilitation hospital, or a skilled nursing facility. See Nebraska Statutes 71-413
  • Health care service: means an adult day service, a children's day health service, a home health agency, a hospice or hospice service, a PACE center, or a respite care service. See Nebraska Statutes 71-415
  • State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801

(2) A facility or service licensed pursuant to an accreditation or certification accepted by the department shall notify the department if such accreditation or certification has been sanctioned, modified, terminated, or withdrawn. After giving such notice, the facility or service may continue to operate unless the department determines that the facility or service no longer meets the qualifications for licensure under the act.