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Construction Review Services (CRS) • CRS Home • Survey
Submission Guide • Office of Health Care Survey
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If the local building official has already reviewed and approved my plans for construction, why does the Construction Review need to look at my plans? The local building official and Construction Review Services (CRS) look at the construction documents for different information. While the local building official has the ultimate authority over occupancy of the building, CRS reviews the plans to ensure that the licensing and Medicare certification requirements have been met. The licensing requirements include physical plant requirements that ensure the proper amenities are provided for intended services. When I change the use of a room, do I need to submit plans to Construction Review? Yes, often times a simple change of use may create a condition and can create hazards to the building occupants. We encourage you to contact CRS and discuss the proposed changes, if the change in use does not pose a hazard to the occupants CRS will make the determination that you don't need to submit and include notes in your file for future surveyors to see. Should a change of use potentially not meet the rules, CRS staff can give you the guidance on economical ways to make the changes. If the changes do not require any construction, the plan review fee is only $120.00. Do I need to hire an Architect? Not necessarily for all projects. Smaller projects that do not have any structural changes and are considered "minor alterations" can be submitted directly to CRS for review. CRS could also schedule a site visit to look at your project and potentially approve it in the field. You will need to check with your local building department to determine if they require an Architect. In most instances projects that do not require submittal to the local building department do not require an Architect when submitted to Construction Review Services. Who else needs to review my plans? The local jurisdiction will most likely need to review the plans. You will need to contact your local building department to discuss with them what they need to see. You can find the contact information for your local building department at www.wabo.org. Your local building department may ask that you have the plans reviewed by other entities. How long will my plan review take? Most plan reviews take 28 days. On our main page we have included an estimated plan review turnaround time. We try the best we can to get the plan review completed in the 28 days, however we often need additional information. The length of time plan review takes greatly depends on the thoroughness of the plans and documents and the responsiveness of your consultants. We are going to start providing endoscopy services in an existing O.R. Do we have to submit to Construction Review Services? Yes, this may be considered as a change of use sometimes, however most often construction will be required to accommodate the new service. For example, endoscopy rooms require a negative pressure relationship and O.R.'s are typically setup with positive pressure. CRS can help you identify these and other potential problem areas. These projects do not typically require the services of an Archtiect. Does my outpatient clinic have to meet the same requirements as my hospital? Outpatient clinics have to meet the same Hospital Licensing Regulations (Chapter 246-320 WAC) as hospitals when you intend to bill under hospital provider based status. The Hospital Licensing Regulations have a specific section ( WAC 246-320-815) that serves as the starting point for determining the requirement that they need to meet. Outpatient clinics are however exempt from the more restrictive requirements of the Hospital Licensing Regulations found in WAC 246-320-525. It is important to note that outpatient clinics are subject to the requirements found in 246-320-405 (9) What editions of the codes do you use when reviewing my plans for conformance issues? The Licensing Regulations require facilities to meet the codes as adopted by the State Building Code Council. Some local jurisdictions may have adopted other editions of some of the reference codes, in those cases if we find that the locally adopted edition is equal and meets the federal requirements put forth by the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services. We will coordinate our review so that facilities do not have to meet two editions of the same code. How is the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) involved in the process? Construction Review Services reviews the plans for conformance with the federal requirements. The codes and standards adopted by the federal government can be found in the federal register. We have provided an excerpt of the federal register that explains what physical plant standards must meet for Medicare/Medicaid certification. In Washington, you must meet these standards as part of the licensing requirements. If CMS has adopted the 2000 edition of NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, what editions of the references are adopted such as NFPA 99? Since the public review process started in the year 2000, only codes and standards that were in existence at the time of the process can be enforced as part of the certification plan review process. In the case of NFPA 99, the 1999 edition would be the governing code. If we can't meet the requirements in the codes and standards what can we do? There are exemption and waiver processes. If the code or standard that you cannot meet is in the Licensing Regulations (Washington Administrative Code) a section of the licensing regulations will explain the process for making a request. Even if you cannot meet the "letter of the rule", you may still be able to show that you can meet the intent of the rule. The department will review the facts around the requests and make a determination. If the request is based on NFPA or the International Codes you can still submit your request to the department. The department will coordinate with the appropriate agencies to obtain a determination.
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