Abbreviated Review Process

Information and instructions for health care facilities using the Abbreviated Review Process

The abbreviated review process is intended to be a 2-part review. The licensee and architect submit a Part I submission which includes detailed design development plans. The Department reviews the design development plans and sends review comments to the licensee and architect. The licensee and architect are expected to review and incorporate the Department's Part I plan review comments into the final plans and submit a Part II submission that includes the final plans, Compliance Checklists and combined Licensee's and Architect's Affidavit.

The Department's plan approval relies upon the affidavit, which attests to all of the following items:

1. Compliance with construction standards;
2. The licensee's understanding and agreement that the Department maintains continuing authority to review the plans, inspect the work, withdraw its approval; and
3. The licensee's understanding of the continuing obligation to make any changes required by the Department to comply with the applicable codes and regulations, whether or not physical plant construction or alterations are complete.

The Department does not conduct a detailed review of the final plans.

Common questions

Which projects qualify for abbreviated review?

• Hospital, Clinic, Dialysis Facilities or Ambulatory Surgery Centers projects with an estimated construction cost of $2,000,000 or more.
• Any long-term care facility project with an estimated construction cost of $2,000,000 or more, or project affecting a long-term care facility that was not constructed after 1968.
• Projects involving Hospice Inpatient Facilities are not eligible for review under the Self-Certification process or Abbreviated Review process and must be submitted for review according to the full review process.

What documentation must be submitted to DPH for abbreviated plan approval?

Abbreviated review involves two types of document submission, Part I and Part II. Documentation marked with an asterisk below must be submitted on the forms available on the DPH Plan Review webpage. Please note that the documentation listed below except for the check for Plan Review Fee must be submitted in PDF format. All PDF documents must be converted from original electronic files or scanned from hard copies at a resolution of 300 dpi.

Part I Abbreviated Submission must include:

• Plan Review Application Form*
• Project Narrative: Comprehensive description of the nature of services, clinical spaces and scope of construction in square feet. Any change in bed complement, service, existing facility conditions and construction phasing must be fully explained.
• Check for Plan Review Fee: The fee is determined according to the fee schedule included in the Plan Review Application Form.
• Statement of Determination of Need Compliance: Statement indicating that the project conforms to the DoN conditions, if DoN approval is required. DoN requirements can be found at www.mass.gov/dph/don.
• Capital Cost Estimate - Form 4*: The cost columns under the “Approved Costs” titles are only applicable to DoN projects.
• Floor Plans of Existing Conditions: In the case of renovations, these floor plans must show existing licensed conditions and indicate all room functions in the vicinity of the project area. Existing licensed conditions are intended to include spaces that have received DPH approval in the past according to licensure rules in effect at the time of design and construction.
• Site Plan: In the case of new construction, outside grade, parking, outdoor walkways, and path of handicapped access to the building must be shown.
• Design Development plans:
  • Architectural plans at a scale of at least [1/8" = 1'-0"] including function labels and numbers for all rooms, dimensions indicating the size of all rooms, widths of corridors, partition types, including widths and construction of all partitions.
  • Interior elevations, door schedule, finish schedule.
  • Site plan & exterior elevations for new buildings or new additions.
  • Preliminary mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans showing compliance with requirements listed in the right hand side column under the title “Plumbing/Mechanical/Electrical”.
• Phasing plans showing the scope of work within a contained area of the facility for each construction phase in renovations projects. Each phase must be designed so as to minimize disruption of service delivery in areas of the facility which will continue operating during the construction project. Protection barriers between construction areas and the rest of the facility must be specified.
• Physical Plant Waiver Request Form*: A fully completed, signed and scanned form must be submitted with an attached floor plan in 8½” x 11” format for each waiver requested. The RTF version of the form can be used as a word processing document.

Part II Abbreviated Submission must include:

• Written Response to the Department's Part I plan review comments, addressed to the plan reviewer who conducted the Part I review. A detailed response must be given to each plan review comment, with reference to the specific plans that have been revised.
• Final Construction Plans for the proposed project, including complete architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans.
• Phasing plans showing the scope of work within a contained area of the facility for each construction phase in renovations projects. Each phase must be designed so as to minimize disruption of service delivery in areas of the facility which will continue operating during the construction project. Protection barriers between construction areas and the rest of the facility must be specified.
• Architect's and Licensee's Affidavit* including original architect's stamp and signatures of the Architect and Licensee. Any waiver requests must be listed by regulation section numbers. The RTF version of the form can be used as a word processing document.
• Architect's Compliance Checklists*: Checklist applicable to proposed service must be submitted for each suite, DPH or inpatient unit included in the new construction or renovation project. The RTF version of each checklist can be used as a word processing document.
• Physical Plant Waiver Request Form*: A fully completed, signed and scanned form must be submitted with an attached floor plan in 8½” x 11” format for each waiver requested. The RTF version of the form can be used as a word processing document.

In which format should the plans be submitted?

The plans must be submitted in electronic format as multi-page PDF files, as described below:

• CAD files for the plans should be converted to PDF files without layers.
• Each of the major sections (site, architectural, mechanical, electrical & plumbing) should be represented by a single multi-page PDF file that includes 100 pages or less. If one of the major sections includes more than 100 pages, the plans should be grouped by category in two or more multi-page files (e.g. floor plans, interior elevations, architectural details). Plans must not be submitted as individual files.
• The PDF files should be compatible with Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• Each page should be bookmarked with plan number & floor location.
• The plan submission documents should be submitted via email if the added sizes of the attachments do not exceed 25 MB.  If an email or group of emails are not practical due to file size, plans should be submitted via electronic file transfer in which the plans will be available from a designated internet-based file-sharing application and are clearly referenced by facility name and project title.   
• The documents other than the plans in the plan submission should be transmitted via email with the same facility name and project title in the subject line.

The emailed plan submission for Part I should be sent to [e-mail]. The emailed plan submission for Part II should be sent to the Plan Review Project Engineer who signed the Part I plan review letter. No printed plans will be accepted.

Which areas of an existing licensed facility must be upgraded for compliance with current licensure requirements?

Compliance with licensure requirements must be verified and documented within a given project area. Existing licensed conditions outside of the project area will remain acceptable. However, when bed complements are increased, facilities are expected to ensure compliance with square footage minimums and functional area requirements for all functional spaces that are required to support the additional beds.

If the Self-Certification process is used, when can the licensee begin construction?

Construction must not begin until the facility receives the Department's written plan approval of final construction plans.

What are the timelines for DPH review of Self-Certification projects?

• Part I - The licensee can expect a Department response within 60 days of a complete design development plans submission, as allowed by current plan review workload.
• Part II - The licensee can expect a Department response within 30 days of a complete final plans submission, as allowed by current plan review workload.