Assembly Bill (AB) 1422 (Chapter 716, Statutes of 2021) creates a new category of program flexibility requests for general acute care hospitals that request flexibility to designate a bed, or beds, in a critical care unit at a lower level of care. Effective January 1, 2023, a facility requesting this flexibility must submit its request to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), along with supporting evidence that demonstrates that it will not jeopardize patient health, safety, and well-being, and is needed for increased operational efficiency.
CDPH will post the request and supporting documentation on its public website within 5 calendar days of receipt. Except for initial critical care unit flexibility requests submitted during health care emergencies, requests will be available for public comment for at least 30 days.
Effective February 1, 2023, CDPH will post on its public website a list of critical care program flexibility requests and a list of health care facilities with approved applications.
General Acute Care Hospitals
Please visit this link to view a list of general acute care hospitals that have pending, approved, or withdrawn program flexibility requests: Critical Care Unit Program Flexibility Requests.
How to File a Complaint:
If a member of the public wishes to submit a complaint related to the care provided in a critical care unit, please contact the local District Office: Licensing and Certification District Offices.
If a member of the public wishes to submit a complaint about the approval of a Critical Care Unit Program Flexibility request, they may do so by emailing criticalcareunitprogramflexcomplaint@cdph.ca.gov.
For any questions, please email centralizedprogramflex@cdph.ca.gov.