42 U.S.C. § 1396i — Certification and approval of rural health clinics and intermediate care facilities for mentally retarded

Whenever the Secretary^* certifies a facility in a State^* to be qualified as a rural health clinic^* under subchapter XVIII, such facility shall be deemed to meet the standards for certification as a rural health clinic for purposes of providing rural health clinic services^* under this subchapter.

The Secretary shall notify the State agency administering the medical assistance^* plan of his approval or disapproval of any facility in that State which has applied for certification by him as a qualified rural health clinic.

The Secretary may cancel approval of any intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded^* at any time if he finds on the basis of a determination made by him as provided in section 1396a(a)(33)(B) of this title that a facility fails to meet the requirements contained in section 1396a(a)(31) of this title or section 1396d(d) of this title, or if he finds grounds for termination of his agreement with the facility pursuant to section 1395cc(b) of this title. In that event the Secretary shall notify the State agency and the intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded that approval of eligibility of the facility to participate in the programs established by this subchapter and subchapter XVIII shall be terminated at a time specified by the Secretary. The approval of eligibility of any such facility to participate in such programs may not be reinstated unless the Secretary finds that the reason for termination has been removed and there is reasonable assurance that it will not recur.

Any intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded which is dissatisfied with a determination by the Secretary that it no longer qualifies as a 1 intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded for purposes of this subchapter, shall be entitled to a hearing by the Secretary to the same extent as is provided in section 405(b) of this title and to judicial review of the Secretary’s final decision after such hearing as is provided in section 405(g) of this title, except that, in so applying such sections and in applying section 405(l) of this title thereto, any reference therein to the Commissioner of Social Security or the Social Security Administration^* shall be considered a reference to the Secretary or the Department of Health and Human Services, respectively. Any agreement between such facility and the State agency shall remain in effect until the period for filing a request for a hearing has expired or, if a request has been filed, until a decision has been made by the Secretary; except that the agreement shall not be extended if the Secretary makes a written determination, specifying the reasons therefor, that the continuation of provider status constitutes an immediate and serious threat to the health and safety of patients, and the Secretary certifies that the facility has been notified of its deficiencies and has failed to correct them.