Medical practice license extension

The development of a medical institution or a doctor’s private practice is almost always associated with the expansion of activities: opening new areas of treatment, attracting doctors of other specialties, or introducing new types of medical care.

However, in the field of medical practice, any such expansion must take into account the requirements of licensing legislation. After amendments were made to the licensing conditions for conducting business activities in medical practice, a separate procedure for extending the license was introduced.

Now, in certain cases, medical institutions and individual entrepreneurs must submit a special application for the expansion of business activities in medical practice. Such an application is submitted to the licensing authority together with the relevant documents.

At the same time, not all changes in the activities of a medical institution require the procedure for extending the license. In many cases, it is sufficient to submit a notification of changes to the license data.

That is why it is important to understand in which cases it is necessary to issue a license extension, and when a notification is sufficient, in order to avoid violations of the licensing conditions and problems during inspections.

What is the extension of a medical practice license in the context of the new licensing rules?

The latest changes to the licensing conditions for conducting business activities in medical practice have provided for a new mechanism for cases where the licensee plans to expand its activities through new medical areas.

In particular, according to the licensing conditions, if the licensee intends to conduct medical practice in new medical specialties, provide new types of medical or rehabilitation care, the licensee is obliged to submit to the licensing authority an application for the expansion of business activities in medical practice.

Such an application is submitted in the established form (Appendix 8 to the licensing conditions) and is accompanied by a package of documents stipulated by law.

The application, in particular, includes information on the state of the material and technical base and the availability of personnel, indicating their educational and qualification levels. This information confirms that the medical institution or individual entrepreneur actually has the necessary resources to provide new types of medical care.

It is important to note that such information is submitted separately for each place of business. If a legal entity creates several healthcare facilities, information on the material and technical base and personnel is filled out separately for each facility. A similar requirement applies to individual entrepreneurs who practice medicine at several addresses.

Thus, the license extension procedure is actually an official confirmation that the licensee meets the licensing requirements for the provision of new medical services or work in new specialties.

When is a license extension for medical practice not required?

Not all changes in the activities of a medical facility or a doctor-entrepreneur require the submission of an application for a license extension.

If the changes are not related to the addition of new specialties or new types of medical care, the legislation provides for a simpler procedure – submission of a notification of changes.

For example, an extension of a medical practice license is not required in cases where:

A new place of business is opened for existing specialties

If a medical institution or individual entrepreneur opens a new office or clinic at a different address, but plans to work in the same specialties that are already specified in the license, it is sufficient to submit a notification of changes.

In this case, the following are submitted to the licensing authority:

• Notification of changes;
• Updated information on the material and technical base and personnel for the new address.

The number of medical workers is increasing

If the institution hires new doctors in specialties that are already provided for by the license, the extension procedure is also not applied. It is only necessary to submit a notification of changes and updated information about the personnel.

Other changes occur in the institution’s activities

Such changes may include, in particular, equipment upgrades, changes in personnel composition, or other organizational changes that do not affect the list of medical specialties or types of medical care.

Therefore, the key criterion is the emergence of new medical specialties or new types of medical care. If there are no such changes, in most cases it is sufficient to submit a notification of changes to the license data.

What documents are submitted for a license extension and how is the procedure?

If a medical institution or individual entrepreneur plans to expand its activities through new medical specialties or new types of medical care, it is necessary to go through the license extension procedure.

In general, the license extension procedure consists of several stages:

1. Analysis of planned changes in activities and determination of the need for a license extension.
2. Preparation of an application and documents confirming compliance of new directions with licensing requirements.
3. Submission of documents to the licensing authority in the manner.
4. Consideration of documents by the licensing authority and decision on license extension.

Correct execution of documents is of key importance, as errors or incomplete information may lead to refusal to consider documents or the need for resubmission.

How can we help?

The procedure for extending a medical practice license may seem formal, but in practice it requires a detailed analysis of the medical institution’s activities and the correct execution of a significant number of documents.

The most common problems that medical institutions encounter when completing documents on their own:

• incorrect determination of the procedure (when a license extension is required, and when a notification of changes is sufficient);
• errors in filling in information about the material and technical base;
• non-compliance of personnel or equipment with licensing requirements;
• delays in reviewing documents due to the need to finalize them.

Legal support allows you to avoid these risks and significantly speed up the procedure for making changes to the license.

Lawyers at Prikhodko & Partners will help:

• analyze the planned changes in the activities of a medical institution;
• determine the correct registration mechanism;
• prepare a complete package of documents;
• accompany the submission of documents to the licensing authority.

Turning to lawyers allows a medical institution to focus on the development of medical activities, while specialists take care of licensing issues and interaction with government authorities.