Health Services Planning & Review administratively supports the work of the Health Services Planning and Review Board.  The HSPR Board manages the request and approval processes for a Certificate of Need (CON) in accordance with NH Statutes.  Certificate of Need requests are approved by the Governor appointed HSPR Board.  A Certificate of Need is required for a licensed health care facility to proceed with large and often expensive construction or renovation projects that exceed a threshold amount established by NH Statutes.

The ten member HSPR Board, appointed by the Governor and Executive Council, reviews proposals and grants approval for projects filed by healthcare providers, mobile vendors, and related health care facilities or providers to construct or modify health facilities, acquire new medical equipment or offer new or different inpatient care services.  The composition of the Board's membership is specified by NH Statute as follows: 1 Healthcare Insurer Representative; 4 Consumers; 1 Hospital Representative; 1 Nursing Home Representative; 1 Ambulatory Surgical Facility Representative; 1 County Official; and 1 Representative from the DHHS Commissioner's Office.  Appointments for Board membership are staggered and no member is appointed for more than 2 terms.  The Commissioner (or designee) is the only permanent member of the Board.

The current statutory thresholds for required HSPR Board review are:

• $2,555,100 for any acute care facility project;
• $1,703,400 for any nursing home, ambulatory surgical facility or specialty hospital project;
• $726,082 for any ambulatory surgical facility within the service area of a hospital with fewer than 70 licensed beds; and
• $400,000 for equipment

The HSPR office has responsibility to improve the quality of healthcare services provided to NH citizens, expand access and availability to healthcare services, and ensure the cost effectiveness of healthcare services.  The HSPR office is also responsible for the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of healthcare utilization and financial data of healthcare facilities.  The funds necessary to administer the CON process are 100% fee-generated, with annual fees assessed to each acute care hospital, specialty hospital, and nursing home licensed in NH.

The HSPR Board is administratively attached to DHHS.  NH Statutes define an administratively attached agency such as HSPR as an "independent agency linked to a department for purposes of reporting and sharing support services."  Thus, while the HSPR Board exercises its powers independently from DHHS, HSPR staff members are DHHS employees.