The Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) acts as agent for the Virginia Department of Health in administering five state licensing programs:
Hospitals
Outpatient Surgical Hospitals
Nursing Facilities
Home Care Organizations
Hospice programs
In addition, the OLC administers the state's certification and registration programs for Managed Care Health Insurance Plans licensees (MCHIPs) and private review agents, administers the Certificate of Public Need (COPN) program and is the state survey agency for Medicare and Medicaid. The most visible activities conducted by the OLC are its inspection programs, which are used to satisfy both state licensure requirements and Medicare/Medicaid requirements. In addition to regulatory compliance inspections, the OLC investigates consumer complaints regarding the quality of health care services received. These inspections are conducted by medical facilities inspectors who are health care professionals such as physicians, registered nurses, dietitians, social workers and laboratory medical technologists.
The Acute Care division is responsible for the licensing hospitals, home care, and hospice programs. The division monitors managed care health insurance plans and private review agents and, under CLIA, conducts the certification inspections for clinical laboratories. This division is also responsible for the Medicare certification of hospitals, home health agencies and hospice programs as well as, a variety of medical services and facilities.
The Long Term Care division is responsible for the licensing and federal certification of nursing facilities and Medicaid certification of intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded (ICF/MRs).
The Certificate of Public Need Program works to promote comprehensive health planning to meet the needs of the public, avoid unnecessary duplication of medical care facilities and to provide a procedure for resolving questions about the need to construct or modify medical care facilities.
The Complaint Unit receives complaints about health care facilities that may have violated a regulation or law.