General Counsel Division
Comprised of the following:
Office of General Counsel: Provides overall guidance and direction for the operations of the Division; drafts and reviews contracts, request for proposals, and other procurement documents; provides legal services for all aspects of the State Health Benefit Plans; develops policies and procedures for compliance with federal and state privacy and public records requirements; drafts rules, regulations and policies for consideration by the Board of Community Health; provides staff support for the Health Planning Review Board.
Legal Services Section: Provides legal services for all aspects of the Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids™ programs, including representation of the department in administrative proceedings, litigation support to the Department of Law, research and drafting of Medicaid and PeachCare policy and procedures.
Certificate of Need Section: Administers the Certificate of Need Program.
Health Planning Section: Collects health care data, helps to develop policies for health care services and provides staff support for the Health Strategies Council, its subcommittees and its technical advisory committees.
Health Planning Review Board: Hears appeals from decisions of hearing officers conducting administrative hearings to review the grant or denial of applications for Certificates of Need. Maintains a panel of hearing officers from which an individual hearing officer is selected when an administrative hearing is requested. Independent body whose membership is appointed by the Governor.
Health Strategies Council: Adopts the state health plan to address Georgia’s health care system for financial, geographic, cultural and administrative accessibility; reviews, comments on and makes recommendations on proposed rules governing the Certificate of Need program; studies long-term, comprehensive approaches for health insurance coverage of all. Independent body whose membership is appointed by the Governor.