(1) For purposes of determining the size of a rural hospital, beds certified by the Oregon Health Authority on the license of the hospital as special inpatient care beds shall not be included.

(2) As used in this section, ‘special inpatient care beds’ means beds that:

(a) Are used for the treatment of patients with mental illness or for the treatment of alcoholism or drug abuse, or are located in a rehabilitation center, a college infirmary, a chiropractic facility, a freestanding hospice facility, an infirmary for the homeless or an inpatient care facility described in ORS § 441.065;

(b) Are physically separate from acute inpatient care beds, at least by being located on separate floors or wings of the same building;

(c) Are never used for acute patient care;

(d) Are staffed by dedicated direct care personnel for whom separate employment records are maintained;

(e) Have separate medical directors; and

(f) Maintain separate admission, discharge and patient records. [1993 c.765 § 55; 2007 c.70 § 243; 2009 c.595 § 754]