AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION
Health Facility and Agency Licensing
RULE NOS.:RULE TITLES:
59A-5.021Plans Submission and Fee Requirements
59A-5.022Physical Plant Requirements for Ambulatory Surgical Centers
NOTICE OF CHANGE
Notice is hereby given that the following changes have been made to the proposed rule in accordance with subparagraph 120.54(3)(d)1., F.S., published in Vol. 41 No. 28, February 11, 2015 issue of the Florida Administrative Register.
The following sections of the proposed rule should be changed to read:
59A-5.021 Plans Submission and Fee Requirements.
(1) No construction work, including demolition, shall be started until prior written approval has been given by the Office of Plans and Construction. This includes all construction of new facilities and any and all additions, modifications, renovations, or refurbishment of the site, building, equipment or systems of all existing facilities. Approval to start construction will be granted by the Agency when the design complies with all applicable codes and standards as evidenced by a thorough examination of the documents submitted to the Agency as required for Stage III construction documents.
(2) Approval to start construction limited to demolition, site work, foundation, and building structural frame may be obtained prior to construction document the approval of Stage III construction documents when the following is submitted for review and approval:
(a) A Preliminary Stage II approval letter from the Office of Plans and Construction granted by the Agency when the design complies with applicable life safety code requirements, flood requirements and the layout will accommodate all required functional spaces as evidenced by a thorough examination of the documents submitted to the Agency as required in this rule for Stage II preliminary plans.
(2)(b) through (2)(c) No change.
(d) An infection control risk assessment (ICRA) and a life safety plan indicating temporary egress and detailed phasing plans indicating how the area(s) to be demolished or constructed is to be separated from all occupied areas shall be submitted for review and approval when demolition or construction in and around occupied buildings is to be undertaken. Submissions that fail to provide an ICRA or depict the safety measures prescribed by the ICRA will not be approved.
(3) Construction must commence within 12 months of receiving approval from the Office of Plans and Construction to begin construction. Once construction begins construction activities should be continuous until the completion of the project. Failure to commence construction within 12 months of plan approval or periods of construction inactivity exceeding 12 months following commencement of construction will result in termination of the project. Restarting a terminated project will require resubmission of the construction documents accompanied by a new plan review application and will be subject to all fees prescribed by Section 395.0163, F.S. Projects which have not received approval to begin construction will be considered abandoned following 12 months of inactivity and the project will be terminated. Projects which have not received approval to begin construction will be considered abandoned following 12 months of inactivity and the project will be terminated.
(4) No change.
(5) The initial submission of plans to the Office of Plans and Construction for any new project shall include a completed Application for Plan Review, AHCA Form 3500-0011, June 2014, incorporated by reference and available at http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-XXXXX , and a valid Certificate of Need if required by the agency. This information shall accompany the initial submission, and approval will not be granted for any project without a certificate of need if required by the agency. Projects requiring a Certificate of Need will not be approved to begin construction without a valid Certificate of Need. Applications for Plan Review are available from the Agency for Health Care Administration, Office of Plans and Construction, 2727 Mahan Drive, Mail Stop #24, Tallahassee, Florida 32308, or at the web address at: http://ahca.myflorida.com/MCHQ/PlansandConstruction.shtml. http://ahca.myflorida.com/MCHQ/Plans/Forms_Rules_Presentations.shtml
(6) No change.
(7) Plans and specifications may be submitted for review at any of the three stages of development described in this rule. Approval of Stage III document is required to begin construction. Limited early construction may be permitted for projects with an approved Stage II submission, submission of construction documents limited to the scope of work for early construction, and a letter from the facility holding the Agency for Health Care Administration harmless for any changes require as result of the final construction document review.
(7)(a) through (8) No change.
(9) For projects involving only equipment changes or system renovations, only Stage III, construction documents will be accepted may be submitted. These documents shall include the following:
(a) Life safety plans showing the fire/smoke compartments in the area of renovation.
(b) Detailed phasing plans indicating how the new work will be separated from all occupied areas.
(c) Engineering plans and specifications for all of the required work.
(10) Stage I, Schematic Plans. At a minimum, tThe following shall be incorporated into the schematic plans:
(10)(a) through (10)(c) No change.
(11) Stage II, Preliminary Plans.
At a minimum, tThe following shall be incorporated into the preliminary plans.
(11)(a) through (c) No change.
(d) Building locating location dimensions.
(11)(e) through (n) No change.
(12) Stage III, Construction Documents.
The Stage III, construction documents shall be an extension of the Stage II, preliminary plan submission and shall provide a complete description of the contemplated construction. Construction documents shall be signed, sealed and dated and submitted for written approval to the Office of Plans and Construction by a Florida-registered architect and Florida-registered professional engineer. These documents shall consist of work related to civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering, fire protection, lightning protection, landscape architecture and all architectural work. At a minimum, and Iin addition to the requirements for Stage II submission, the following shall be incorporated into the construction documents:
(12)(a) through (d) No changes.
(e) Mechanical engineering plans including fire and smoke control plans. Include all equipment that requires mechanical utilities Show all items of owner furnished equipment requiring mechanical services. Provide a clear and concise narrative control sequence of operations for each item of mechanical equipment including but not limited to air conditioning, heating, ventilation, medical gas, plumbing, and fire protection and any interconnection of the equipment of the systems. Mechanical engineering drawings shall depict completely the systems to be utilized, whether new or existing, from the point of system origination to termination. Provide a tabular schedule giving the required air flow (as computed from the information contained on the ventilation rate table) in cubic feet per minute (cfm) for supply, return, exhaust, outdoor, and ventilation air for each space, as applicable, shown on the architectural documents. The schedule shall also contain the HVAC system design air flow rates and the resulting space relative pressures. The schedule or portion of the schedule as applicable shall be placed on each floor plan drawing sheet containing the spaces depicted on the drawing.
(f) Fire protection system layout documents as defined by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Rule 61G15-32.002, F.A.C., where applicable, that shall include the existing system as necessary to define the new work. These documents shall be signed and sealed by a Florida-registered professional engineer.
(12)(g) through (13)(a) No change.
(b) The specifications shall require a performance verification test and balance air quantity values report for a minimum of two operating conditions with the specified air filters installed for each air handling unit system. One operating condition shall be with the specified air filters installed in the minimum pressure drop condition or (clean filter state). The second operating condition is to be and at the maximum pressure drop condition and/or (dirty filter state).
(14) All construction documents shall be well coordinated to provide consistency of design intent throughout the documents and phasing plans shall be clear and provide continuity of required services. It is specifically required that in the case of additions to existing institutions, the mechanical and electrical, especially existing essential electrical systems and all other pertinent conditions shall be a part of this submission.
(a) All work described in subsequent addenda, change orders, field orders and other documents altering the above must be approved in writing by the Office of Plans and Construction prior to initiation. Documents submitted for approval shall also be signed, sealed and dated shall also be signed, sealed and dated and submitted in advance to the Office of Plans and Construction for review. The Agency will either approve or disapprove the submission based on compliance with all applicable codes and standards and shall provide a listing of deficiencies in writing.
(b) All submissions will be acted upon by the agency within 60 days of the receipt of properly executed construction documents and the initial payment of the plan review fee. The Aagency will either approve or disapprove the submission and shall provide a listing of deficiencies in writing. Each subsequent resubmission of documents for review on the project will initiate another 60-day response period. All deficiencies noted by the agency must be satisfactorily corrected before final approval. will be provided from the Agency.
(15) Additions or revisions that substantially change increase the original scope of the project work greater than fifty percent or change the original scope of the project more than fifty percent will be required to be submitted as a new project.
(16) No change.
Rulemaking Authority 395.1055 FS. Law Implemented 395.001, 395.0163, 471.025, 481.221, 553.73, FS. History–New 6-14-78, Formerly 10D-30.21, Amended 2-3-88, 5-6-92, Formerly 10D-30.021, Amended 11-12-96, .
59A-5.022 Physical Plant Requirements for Ambulatory Surgical Centers.
(1) The Agency provides technical assistance to the Florida Building Commission and the State Fire Marshal in developing and maintaining standards for the design and construction of ambulatory surgery centers. These standards are included in the following: All construction of new ambulatory surgery centers and all construction of additions, alterations, refurbishing, renovations to and reconstruction of existing ambulatory surgery centers shall be in compliance with the following codes and standards
(a) The building codes described in Rule 61G20-1.001, F.A.C.; as adopted by the Florida Building Commission.
(b) The fire codes described in Chapter 69A-60, F.A.C.; as adopted by the State Fire Marshal.
(c) The handicap accessibility standards in Chapter 553, Part V, F.S. and Rule 61G20-4.002, F.A.C; as adopted by the Florida Building Commission.
(2) No building shall be converted to a licensed ambulatory surgery center unless it complies with the standards and codes in effect when the building is converted. set forth herein and with the physical plant standards set forth in the Florida Building Code, adopted pursuant to 61G20-4.002, F.A.C.
(3) No change.
(4) The fire safety evaluation system NFPA 101A Alternate Approaches to Life Safety shall not be used as design criteria for new construction. The requirements of this rule are the minimum requirements.
Rulemaking Authority 395.1055 FS. Law Implemented 395.1055 FS. History–New 6-14-78, Formerly 10D-30.22, Amended 2-3-88, Formerly 10D-30.022, Amended 6-11-97,___________.
