COPN

Our starting point is examining the merits of your project and strategically assessing its likelihood of success in a competitive marketplace. If an application seems appropriate, we will work with your team to prepare a submission that will meet regulatory criteria and highlight the value of your project to your service area. We will navigate your application through the review process, managing interactions with DCOPN staff and providing any additional information that DCOPN may require. We also review competitive applications and identify the most appropriate and strategic response. Should further advocacy be necessary, we will assist your legal counsel with formulating the best strategies and arguments to present to the Commissioner of Health in any adjudicatory proceeding.

Project Development and Management

As healthcare planning consultants, we can assist your organization from the very initiation of your project to position you for success. We can help you:

  • turn planning concepts into achievable projects.

  • develop stakeholder teams to identify institutional needs and create the best plan to achieve your objectives in a financially prudent manner.

  • put together the right team of architects, engineers, contractors and other consultants and specialists.

  • manage construction administration and oversight.

  • develop realistic estimates, monitor adherence to budget and prepare progress reports for leaders of your organization.

  • identify required regulatory approvals and develop the best strategies for successful applications and filings.

Interim Leadership

When your organization experiences temporary vacancies in non-clinical operational areas, we can provide interim leadership to help ensure operational consistency and stability while your organization transitions to new managers.

COPN FAQs

What is a Certificate of Public Need?

A Certificate of Public Need, or COPN, is an authorization issued by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to a hospital or other health care provider seeking to add or expand a regulated health care service or facility.  

What are regulated services in Virginia that require a COPN?

COPN-regulated services/facilities include hospital beds, ORs, advanced imaging such as MRI and CT, NICUs, transplant programs, open heart surgery, cardiac catheterization, and radiation therapy equipment.   

How long has the Certificate of Public Need Program existed in Virginia? 

The COPN program was established in 1973 by a federal mandate which required hospitals and other providers of health care services to prove a community need for additional services.   The intent of the mandate was to control costs and increase access to healthcare.  The federal mandates for similar programs across the nation (more commonly known simply as “Certificate of Need” in other states) ended in 1986, but Virginia’s program has continued, as have similar programs in 35 other states and in the District of Columbia. 

What is the application process?

A hospital or other provider must apply to VDH’s Division of Certificate of Public Need (DCOPN) for a COPN, and the application process is fairly rigorous, expensive, and time consuming.  COPN applications are filed in “batched cycles”.  This means that applications for specific types of services or facilities can only be filed at certain times throughout the year.  For example, an application for ORs can only be filed twice a year in January and July.   An application for a CT or MRI can be filed at four points throughout the year (In December, March, May and September).   The application typically takes a minimum of 6 months from submission through review but can take much longer if DCOPN staff recommends denial of the project and an applicant requests further administrative review by the Commissioner of Health. 

Are there fees associated with an application? 

The fees associated with an application are 1% of the costs of the project to a maximum of $20,000.   

What are the review criteria used to evaluate a COPN application?

The application must establish the “public need” for the project and must satisfy eight criteria known as the “Required Considerations.”  Of particular importance is a project’s compliance with the “State Medical Facilities Plan” or SMFP.  The SMFP regulations contain detailed formula which DCOPN staff applies to a particular project as part of the assessment of public need.  These formulae measure such data as population statistics and utilization of similar services/facilities in a particular service area.   

An applicant is also required to submit detailed information regarding, among other things:

  • ownership/control of the entity that will own/control the project;

  • control of the intended site of the project; 

  • drawings and a detailed timeline for completion of the project; 

  • detailed plans for staffing; 

  • project costs, including the costs of construction and equipment;

  • a pro forma