The Division of Health Facilities Licensure and Certification is the Mississippi regulatory agency responsible for licensing hospitals, nursing homes, personal care homes, home health agencies, ambulatory surgical facilities, birthing centers, abortion facilities, and hospices. The division also certifies health care facilities for participation in the Medicare and/or Medicaid programs. Because the division requires health facilities to comply with state and federal standards, the level of care being delivered is continually upgraded, and patients/residents are protected from abuse and neglect.

The division conducts annual surveys of health facilities. Follow-up visits verify that corrective actions have been implemented to rectify cited deficiencies. The surveyors also investigate all complaints and take appropriate actions. Additionally, the staff reviews and finally approves all renovation and construction plans for health facilities and provides consultation and training. Services are provided through on-site visits, state agency letters, statewide seminars, and small group sessions.

Division staff also collect, evaluate, and report utilization statistics, and they prepare and distribute directories describing the facilities and their services. The division’s staff of architecture and fire safety experts review architectural plans for new construction and renovation of hospitals and nursing homes to ensure that the physical plants comply with federal, state, and local laws and ordinances.

Under the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act of 1988, the staff inspect and certify the state’s laboratories; more than 2,000 laboratories are regulated. Division activities are supported by federal funds through a contract with Health Care Financing Administration and by state licensing fees.

Contact

Health Facilities Licensure: (601) 364-1100 Child Care Licensure: (601) 364-2827 Location 143B Lefleur's Square Jackson, MS Map