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7 AAC 12.104. Determination of critical access hospital. (a) The department will consider a facility as a critical access hospital if the department finds that the facility

(1) provides inpatient short-term hospitalization for medical care of acute illness or injury;

(2) has no more than 25 inpatient beds;

(3) is located in a rural area of no more than 15,000 residents, based on the most recent calculations of the United States Bureau of Census; and

(4) meets the applicable requirements of 7 AAC 12.100 — 7 AAC 12.190 and 7 AAC 12.600 — 7 AAC 12.990. (b) If a facility provides all of the services described in 7 AAC 12.105(a), the facility may elect to be licensed as either a general acute care hospital or a critical access hospital. (c) If a facility qualifies both as a rural primary care hospital under 7 AAC 12.102 and as a critical access hospital under this section, the facility may elect to be licensed as either a rural primary care hospital or a critical access hospital. (Eff. 9/1/2000, Register 155; am 6/23/2006, Register 178) Statutory Authority: Authority: AS 47.32.010 AS 47.32.030 7 AAC 12.105. Services required. (a) A general acute care hospital must provide surgical, anesthesia, perinatal, medical, nursing, pharmaceutical, dietetic, laundry, medical records, radiological, laboratory, and emergency care services. A general acute care hospital must also provide speech, occupational, or physical therapy services. (b) A rural primary care hospital or a critical access hospital must provide the services described in (a) of this section, except that the provision of surgical, anesthesia, perinatal, speech, occupational therapy, or physical therapy services is optional. (c) A long-term acute care hospital must provide medical, nursing, pharmaceutical, dietetic,