(a)  The state department may provide consulting services upon request to any health facility to assist in the identification or correction of deficiencies or the upgrading of the quality of care provided by the health facility.

(b)  The state department shall notify the health facility of all deficiencies in its compliance with this chapter and the rules and regulations adopted hereunder, and the health facility shall agree with the state department upon a plan of correction that shall give the health facility a reasonable time to correct these deficiencies. If at the end of the allotted time, as revealed by inspection, the health facility has failed to correct the deficiencies, the director may take action to revoke or suspend the license.

(c)  (1)  In addition to subdivision (a), if the health facility is licensed under subdivision (a), (b), or (f) of Section 1250, and if the facility fails to implement a plan of correction that has been agreed upon by both the facility and the state department within a reasonable time, the state department may order implementation of the plan of correction previously agreed upon by the facility and the state department. If the facility and the state department fail to agree upon a plan of correction within a reasonable time and if the deficiency poses an immediate and substantial hazard to the health or safety of patients, then the director may take action to order implementation of a plan of correction devised by the state department. The order shall be in writing and shall contain a statement of the reasons for the order. If the facility does not agree that the deficiency poses an immediate and substantial hazard to the health or safety of patients or if the facility believes that the plan of correction will not correct the hazard, or if the facility proposes a more efficient or effective means of remedying the deficiency, the facility may, within 10 days of receiving the plan of correction from the department, appeal the order to the director. The director shall review information provided by the facility, the department, and other affected parties and within a reasonable time render a decision in writing that shall include a statement of reasons for the order. During the period which the director is reviewing the appeal, the order to implement the plan of correction shall be stayed. The opportunity for appeal provided pursuant to this subdivision shall not be deemed to be an adjudicative hearing and is not required to comply with Section 100171.

(2)  If any condition within a health facility licensed under subdivision (a), (b), or (f) of Section 1250 poses an immediate and substantial hazard to the health or safety of patients, the state department may order either of the following until the hazardous condition is corrected:

(A)  Reduction in the number of patients.

(B)  Closure of the unit or units within the facility that pose the risk. If the unit to be closed is an emergency room in a designated facility, as defined in Section 1797.67, the state department shall notify and coordinate with the local emergency medical services agency.

(3)  The facility may appeal an order pursuant to paragraph (2) by appealing to the superior court of the county in which the facility is located.

(4)  Paragraph (2) shall not apply to a deficiency for which the facility was cited prior to January 1, 1994.

(d)  Reports on the results of each inspection of a health facility shall be prepared by the inspector or inspector team and shall be kept on file in the state department along with the plan of correction and health facility comments. The inspection report may include a recommendation for reinspection. Inspection reports of an intermediate care facility/developmentally disabled habilitative or an intermediate care facility/developmentally disabled—nursing shall be provided by the state department to the appropriate regional center pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 4620) of Division 4.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(e)  All inspection reports and lists of deficiencies shall be open to public inspection when the state department has received verification that the health facility has received the report from the state department. All plans of correction shall be open to public inspection upon receipt by the state department.

(f)  In no event shall the act of providing a plan of correction, the content of the plan of correction, or the execution of a plan of correction, be used in any legal action or administrative proceeding as an admission within the meaning of Sections 1220 to 1227, inclusive, of the Evidence Code against the health facility, its licensee, or its personnel.

(Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 220, Sec. 10. Effective August 4, 1997.)