It is the intent of the Legislature that quality health care services and human services be provided to all citizens of the state, that basic standards be developed to promote safe and adequate care of individuals in health care services facilities and human services facilities, that categories of facilities be regulated by the state solely for the purpose of protecting the public from unreasonable harm or danger, and that categories of facilities be regulated by the state only when it is demonstrated that regulation is in the best interest of the public.

The purposes of sections 71-8301 to 71-8314 are to establish criteria that provide for the determination of what categories of facilities should be regulated, to develop a quality improvement mechanism which would periodically examine and reexamine the laws, regulations, processes, and results of the facility regulation system, to establish a facility regulation system based on meaningful results, including quality indicators, and to assure that the development, application, and implementation of the facility regulation system is consistent and uniform.