150.93 Moratorium on construction of hospital beds.

(1) The maximum number of beds of approved hospitals in this state that may be approved by the department for occupancy is 22,516.

(2) Except as provided in subs. (3) and (3m), before July 1, 1996, no person may obligate for a capital expenditure or implement services, by or on behalf of a hospital, to increase the approved bed capacity of a hospital unless the person has, prior to May 12, 1992, entered into a legally enforceable contract, promise or agreement with another to so obligate or implement.

(3) A person may obligate for a capital expenditure, by or on behalf of a hospital, to renovate or replace on the same site existing approved beds of the hospital or to make new construction, if the renovation, replacement or new construction does not increase the approved bed capacity of the hospital.

(3m) A person may obligate for a capital expenditure or implement services that increase the approved bed capacity of a hospital if the capital expenditure or services are necessitated by a transfer of beds from a public hospital that is operated by a county with a population of 750,000 or more to a private hospital and if the resulting combined total number of approved beds in the 2 hospitals does not increase.

(4) No person may transfer approved beds of a hospital to a facility that is associated with the hospital.

(5) This section does not apply to a hospital operated by the state department of veterans affairs under s. 45.50 (10).

History: 1991 a. 250; 1995 a. 20, 27; 2005 a. 22; 2017 a. 207 s. 5.