1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to health; establishing public interest review by the Minnesota Department 
1.3 	of Health on hospital and hospital campus cessations in operations, curtailments 
1.4 	of operations, relocations of health services, and cessations in offering certain 
1.5 	health services;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. [144.5551] MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REVIEW OF 
1.8 	HOSPITAL CAMPUS CLOSURES OR CHANGES IN OPERATIONS.
1.9 	(a) For purposes of this section, "hospital" means an acute care institution licensed under 
1.10 	sections 144.50 to 144.58.
1.11 	(b) Unless a public interest review has been approved by the Minnesota Department of 
1.12 	Health, a hospital or hospital campus is prohibited from:
1.13 	(1) curtailing operations to the extent that patients must be relocated;
1.14 	(2) relocating the provision of health services to another hospital or another hospital 
1.15 	campus;
1.16 	(3) ceasing to offer operating room services, intensive care unit services, pediatric 
1.17 	overnight services; or
1.18 	(4) implementing an action listed in clauses (1) to (3) for which notice was provided to 
1.19 	the commissioner of health and the public under section 144.555, before the effective date 
1.20 	of this section.
1.21 	(c) The public interest review process required under paragraph (b) must be substantially 
1.22 	similar to the public interest review conducted under section 144.552.
2.1 	(d) Paragraph (b) does not apply if:
2.2 	(1) the hospital ceases operations due to insolvency of the corporation in accordance 
2.3 	with chapter 317A, or if insolvency proceedings are commenced under chapter 60B; or
2.4 	(2) the cessation in or curtailment of operations, relocation of health services, or cessation 
2.5 	in offering certain health services is necessary, as determined by the commissioner of health, 
2.6 	because of a fire, tornado, flood, storm damage, or other similar disaster.
2.7 	(e) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the commissioner of health must enforce 
2.8 	this section using the powers and authority in section 144.653.

2.9 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.