Overview

The state's licensing and certification process helps make sure that Alaska's health care facilities meet the standards needed to offer safe, quality services.

The Health Facilities Licensing and Certification Unit (HFLC), part of the Division of Health Care Services (HCS), is responsible for making sure health care facilities meet state and federal standards. For assisted living facilities, please see the Residential Licensing Unit, also a part of HCS.

Who qualifies?

Under state and federal rules and regulations, a wide range of facilities require state licensing, federal certification, or both. These include hospitals, hospice, and home health agencies,

We provide federally required certification services through an agreement with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). Certification allows a facility to participate in Medicare or Medicaid. 

How to sign up

For information on how to apply for licensing and/or certification, select the facility type below.

For waivers from state or federal inspection requirements, look in Resources below to find the appropriate waiver request (for federal or state requirements). 

Licensing & certification by facility type

Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs)

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An ASC is a distinct entity that operates exclusively for the purpose of providing surgical services to patients not requiring hospitalization and in which the expected duration of services would not exceed 24 hours following an admission. (Exceptions to this should be rare.)

Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs)

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CAHs represent a separate provider type with their own Medicare Conditions of Participation (CoP) as well as a separate payment method. The CoPs for CAHs are listed in the “Code of Federal Regulations” at 42 CFR 485 subpart F.

For more on licensing and oversight of CAHs in Alaska, see the Hospitals page:

End-Stage Renal Dialysis facilities (ESRDs)

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ESRD facilities include:

Renal Transplantation Center
A hospital unit approved to directly furnish transplantation and other medical and surgical specialty services required for the care of ESRD transplant patients, including inpatient dialysis furnished directly or under arrangement. A renal transplantation center may also be a renal dialysis center.
 
Renal Dialysis Center
A renal dialysis center is a hospital unit that is approved to furnish the full spectrum of diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services required for the care of ESRD dialysis patients (including inpatient dialysis furnished directly or under arrangement and outpatient dialysis). A hospital need not provide renal transplantation to qualify as a renal dialysis center.
 
Renal Dialysis Facility
A renal dialysis facility is a unit that is approved to furnish dialysis service(s) directly to ESRD patients.
 
Self Dialysis Unit
A self-dialysis unit is a unit that is part of an approved renal transplantation center, renal dialysis center, or renal dialysis facility, and which furnishes self-dialysis services.

For more on licensing and oversight of ESRDs in Alaska, see the ESRDs page:

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)

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For information on FQHC licensing, oversight, and monitoring in Alaska see the FQHC page. 

Freestanding Birth Centers

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For more information on Freestanding Birth Centers licensing, oversight, and monitoring in Alaska see the Freestanding Birth Centers facilities page.

 

Frontier Extended Stay Clinics

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For more information on licensing, oversight, and monitoring of Frontier Extended Stay Clinics, see the Rural Health Clinics & Frontier Extended Stay Clinics page.

General Acute Care Hospitals (GACHs)

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For information on licensing, oversight, and monitoring of General Acute Care Hospitals (GACHs), see the Hospitals & Specialized Hospitals page. 

Home Health Agencies (HHAs)

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HHAs provide services that cover a broad range of care provided in the home environment. 

For more on licensing and oversight of HHAs in Alaska, see the HHAs page:

Hospice

Full-service, Volunteer, and Non-Volunteer

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Overview

In general, a hospice is an entity that provides end-of-life hospice care to people who are terminally ill.

For more on licensing and oversight of hospice agencies in Alaska, see the Hospice Agencies page:

Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals (LTACHs)

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For information on LTACH licensing, oversight and monitoring, see the page Hospitals & Specialized Hospitals.

Long-Term Care facilities (LTCs)

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A long-term care facility is designed to provide 24-hour care for individuals who are no longer able to live independently due to chronic illnesses, disabilities, or the effects of aging. The primary purpose of such facilities is to offer a supportive environment where residents can receive medical, physical, emotional, and social care that meets their daily needs.

For more on licensing and oversight of LTCs in Alaska, see the LTC Facilities page:

Outpatient Physical Therapy / Speech Pathology Providers

OPT/OSP facilities

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For information on OPT or OSP provider licensing, oversight and monitoring, see Outpatient Physical Therapy (OPT) & Outpatient Speech Pathology Facilities.

Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs)

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A Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) is a Residential Psychiatric Treatment Center (RPTC) that has been federally certified.

For more information on RPTC and PRTF licensing, oversight, and monitoring in Alaska see the RPTC facilities page. 

Residential Psychiatric Treatment Centers (RPTCs)

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A Residential Psychiatric Treatment Center (RPTC) is defined as a secure or semi-secure facility, or an inpatient program in another facility, that provides, under the direction of a physician, psychiatric diagnostic, evaluation, and treatment services on a 24-hour-a-day basis to children with severe emotional or behavioral disorders. 

Some RPTCs qualify to be Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs)

For more information on RPTC and PRTF licensing, oversight, and monitoring in Alaska see the RPTC facilities page. 

Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

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For information on licensing, oversight and monitoring of Rural Health Clinics, see the page Rural Health Clinics & Frontier Extended Stay Clinics.

Rural Primary Care Hospitals (RPCHs)

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For information on licensing, oversight, and monitoring of Rural Primary Care Hospitals (RPCHs), see the Hospitals & Specialized Hospitals page. 

Specialized Hospitals

Psychiatric, Substance Abuse, & Rehabilitation hospitals

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For information on licensing, oversight and monitoring of Specialized Hospitals, see the page Hospitals & Specialized Hospitals.

Subacute Mental Health facilities

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Once regulations are final, entities that meet the definition of Subacute Mental Health Facilities must become licensed by HFLC and adhere to the crisis center licensing requirements.

For more information and interim guidance on Subacute Mental Health Facility licensing, oversight, and monitoring in Alaska, see the Subacute Mental Health Facilities page. 

Resources

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