This Act shall establish a procedure (1) which requires a person establishing, constructing or modifying a health care facility, as herein defined, to have the qualifications, background, character and financial resources to adequately provide a proper service for the community; (2) that promotes the orderly and economic development of health care facilities in the State of Illinois that avoids unnecessary duplication of such facilities; and (3) that promotes planning for and development of health care facilities needed for comprehensive health care especially in areas where the health planning process has identified unmet needs.
     The changes made to this Act by this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly are intended to accomplish the following objectives: to improve the financial ability of the public to obtain necessary health services; to establish an orderly and comprehensive health care delivery system that will guarantee the availability of quality health care to the general public; to maintain and improve the provision of essential health care services and increase the accessibility of those services to the medically underserved and indigent; to assure that the reduction and closure of health care services or facilities is performed in an orderly and timely manner, and that these actions are deemed to be in the best interests of the public; and to assess the financial burden to patients caused by unnecessary health care construction and modification. Evidence-based assessments, projections and decisions will be applied regarding capacity, quality, value and equity in the delivery of health care services in Illinois. The integrity of the Certificate of Need process is ensured through revised ethics and communications procedures. Cost containment and support for safety net services must continue to be central tenets of the Certificate of Need process.