The Certificate of Need Improvement Amendment Act of 2025 aims to amend the Health Services Planning Program Re-establishment Act of 1996 by exempting digital-only telehealth platforms and certain primary and specialty care providers from the certificate of need process. The bill introduces definitions for "group practice" and "nonpatient care project," removes the three-year maximum on certificate of need applications for active projects, and mandates that the State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA) update capital expenditure and medical equipment spending thresholds every two years. Additionally, it increases the number of beds that must be added or removed at a healthcare facility to trigger a certificate of need and requires the Department of Health to establish a registration process for facilities offering primary and secondary care, virtual provider networks, and telehealth platforms.

Key amendments include the requirement for SHPDA to adjust thresholds every two years instead of annually, the exclusion of nonpatient care projects from capital expenditure definitions, and the clarification that health care facilities do not include private offices or virtual platforms. The bill also repeals a subsection related to certificate of need duration, allowing for indefinite validity unless otherwise specified. Overall, the legislation seeks to modernize healthcare regulations in the District of Columbia, particularly in response to the growing use of telehealth services.