ATLANTA (June 16, 2023) | On Tuesday, the Senate Study Committee on Certificate of Need (CON) Reform, chaired by Senator Greg Dolezal (R – Cumming), held its first meeting which consisted of presentations by healthcare industry professionals and other stakeholders on the efficacy of CON laws in Georgia. The committee has been tasked with exploring what health system regulations other states have implemented to come up with solutions that increase Georgians’ access to medical care. Presentations were followed by public testimony and an in-depth Q&A.
“These meetings will allow for myself and my fellow committee members to break away from any preconceived notions we may have held regarding Georgia’s Certificate of Need program,” said Chairman Dolezal. “The success of this study committee relies on our efforts to learn from industry professionals and constituents from across the state who hold a wide range of perspectives on the subject. While we may share differences in opinions regarding CON reform, all members of this committee share one common goal: increasing access to healthcare resources for every Georgian. One major takeaway from this first meeting was the glaring lack of information on the success of CON programs nationwide. I hope that we are able to bridge this gap in information to better understand and compare the benefits and shortcomings of such programs. This was a very impactful and eye-opening first meeting, and I am hopeful that by the end of this year we can come to a consensus that benefits our citizens’ health and well-being first.”
CON programs were established to account for the growing healthcare infrastructure needs of states while safeguarding against excessive and redundant health care facilities. Today, CON programs are viewed to generally regulate the number of healthcare resources in an area by requiring that health systems or hospital demonstrate that a community needs such resources before establishing a new facility. Georgia is one of 34 states that maintains such a regulatory tool, though the specific facilities regulated and the types of services that trigger a CON requirement vary state to state. Individual state laws also differ regarding what governing bodies take into account while measuring community need and reviewing applications for a certificate. This gathering under the Gold Dome was the first of four meetings scheduled to take place, with the second study committee meeting to occur in August. The committee will gather in the city of Columbus, Georgia to further discuss how Georgia’s CON laws affect that region. The official meeting notice containing further details will be posted on the Senate Schedule here at a later time.
A recording of the first study committee meeting can be found here.
The meeting agenda for the June 13, 2023 study committee meeting can be found here.
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Sen. Greg Dolezal serves as Chairman for the Senate Committee on Transportation. He represents the 27th Senate District, which includes a large part of Forsyth County. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.7127 or via email at greg.dolezal@senate.ga.gov.