Virginia Administrative Code › Title 12 - HEALTH › Agency 5 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › Chapter 391 - REGULATIONS FOR THE LICENSURE OF HOSPICE › Part IV - Hospice Facilities › Section 12VAC5-391-440 - General facility requirements

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. All construction of new buildings and
				  additions, renovations or alterations of existing buildings for occupancy as a
				  hospice facility shall conform to state and local codes, zoning and building
				  ordinances and the Uniform Statewide Building Code.
In addition, hospice facilities shall be designed and
					 constructed according to section 3.2 of Part 3 of the 2018 Guidelines for
					 Design and Construction of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities of
					 the Facility Guidelines Institute.
B. All buildings shall be inspected and
				  approved as required by the appropriate regional state fire marshal's office or
				  building and fire regulatory official. Approval shall be a Certificate of Use
				  and Occupancy indicating the building is classified for its proposed licensed
				  purpose.
C. The facility must have
				  space for private patient family visiting and accommodations for family members
				  after a patient's death. Patients shall be allowed to receive guests, including
				  small children, at any hour.
D.
				  Patient rooms shall not exceed two beds per room and must be at grade level or
				  above, enclosed by four ceiling-high walls. Each room shall be equipped for
				  adequate nursing care, the comfort and privacy of patients, and with a device
				  for calling the staff member on duty.
E. Designated guest rooms for family members
				  or patient guests and beds for use by employees of the facility shall not be
				  included in the bed capacity of a hospice facility provided such beds and
				  locations are identified and used exclusively by staff, volunteers or patient
				  guests.
Employees shall not utilize patient rooms nor shall
					 bedrooms for employees be used by patients.
F. Waste storage shall be located in a
				  separate area outside or easily accessible to the outside for direct pickup or
				  disposal. The use of an incinerator shall require permitting from the nearest
				  regional permitting office for the Department of Environmental Quality.
G. The facility shall provide or
				  arrange for under written agreement, laboratory, x-ray, and other diagnostic
				  services, as ordered by the patient's physician.
H. There shall be a plan implemented to
				  assure the continuation of essential patient support services in case of power
				  outages, water shortage, or in the event of the absence from work of any
				  portion of the workforce resulting from inclement weather or other causes.
I. No part of a hospice facility
				  may be rented, leased or used for any purpose other than the provision of
				  hospice care at the facility.
J. A
				  separate and distinct entrance shall be provided if the program intends to
				  administer and provide its community-based hospice care from the facility so
				  that such traffic and noise shall be diverted away from patient care areas.
K. The hospice facility shall
				  maintain a complete set of legible "as built" drawings showing all
				  construction, fixed equipment, and mechanical and electrical systems, as
				  installed or built.
Statutory Authority: §§
												32.1-12
						and
						32.1-162.5 of the
						Code of Virginia.