Department of Health
John J. Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, Commissioner

The Division of Health Care Facilities is responsible for ensuring quality of care in hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory surgical treatment centers, and other kinds of health care facilities in Tennessee. The division licenses and/or certifies 21 types of health care facilities, including laboratories.

The Division also conducts state licensure and/or federal certification surveys annually for participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and is responsible for the investigation of all facility complaints received, and the issuance and collection of state and /or federal civil monetary penalties.  Facility surveys and complaint investigations are coordinated and conducted from our three regional offices located in Jackson, Nashville, and Knoxville.

The Division also does the following:

1. Maintains the nurse aide training and testing registry, the elderly abuse registry, the Resident Protection Trust Fund, the federal Medicaid Trust Fund, and Unusual Incident Reporting System; 
2. Electronically transmit data to the federal Nursing Home Minimum Data Set (MDS) and the federal home health agency Outcome, Assessment and Information Systems, administers the Residential Homes for the Aged Quality Enabling Grant Program, the Eden Alternative Grant Assistance Program, certifies residential homes for the aged and assisted care living facility administrators; and ensures quality of health of Health Maintenance Organizations for the Department of Commerce and Insurance;
3. Provides administrative support to the Board for Licensing Health Care Facilities; and
4. Reviews engineering and architectural plans for all new facilities and major renovations to existing facilities.

The Division’s Office of Civil Rights Compliance monitors facilities for compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI, and the federal Linton Agreed Order.  This Office also funds and oversees the operation of four Minority Access Programs which work to improve minority access to health care facilities in four of Tennessee’s major metropolitan areas.

Health Care Facilities has three regional offices: the Central office Nashville, as well as locations in Jackson and Knoxville.