Clinic relocation
Updated: July 2025, 10
When relocating a clinic operated by a medical corporation, procedures are required to simultaneously open the clinic at the new location and close the clinic at the current location.
This is a complicated procedure, as it requires simultaneous procedures with the prefecture/designated city that has jurisdiction over the medical corporation, the public health center that has jurisdiction over the clinic, and the Health and Welfare Bureau that has jurisdiction over insurance medical treatment.
Support Administrative Scrivener Corporation has offices in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, and Osaka, and can provide support to medical corporations throughout the country. The initial consultation is free of charge.
Necessary procedures for relocating a clinic (hospital)
In order to relocate, you need to go through a variety of procedures in addition to the public health center, and if you don't get the timing right, you'll be in trouble.
Although it is called a relocation, it actually involves opening a new clinic and closing an existing clinic at the same time.
If you wish to receive insurance treatment at a general clinic, you will need to follow the following procedures:
| 1 | Approval of changes to articles of incorporation/donation act | It is necessary to approve changes to the articles of incorporation and donation acts regarding the transfer of a clinic (hospital) to the local government that has jurisdiction over the medical corporation. It will be possible to apply for clinics and hospitals such as public health centers after receiving approval from the local government. |
| 2 | Application for permission to open a clinic/hospital | Once we receive approval to change our articles of incorporation and donations, we will apply for permission to open a clinic or hospital to a public health center or local government. |
| 3 | Health and Welfare Bureau Application for designation as an insurance medical institution | Apply for designation as an insurance medical institution to provide insurance medical treatment. As a general rule, designations as insurance medical institutions by the Bureau of Health and Welfare are made on the 1st of every month. To do so, you must apply to the Health and Welfare Bureau by the beginning of the previous month. Applications can be submitted to the Health and Welfare Bureau after receiving permission to open a clinic from the public health center mentioned above. |
| 4 | Application for designation of publicly funded medical care | Apply for designation of publicly funded medical treatment. The application destination changes depending on the type of public expense, so please confirm in advance. |
Key points for clinic relocation
Retroactive date of designation of insurance medical institution
As a general rule, the designation of insurance medical institutions by the Bureau of Health and Welfare is done on the 1st of every month.
To do so, apply to the Health and Welfare Bureau at the beginning of the previous month.
In order to prevent a gap in medical treatment between the clinic before the relocation and the clinic after the relocation due to relocation, it is necessary to check whether the designated date of the designated insurance medical institution is subject to retroactivity.
This is an important point when relocating a clinic.
Under the jurisdiction of the Kanto Bureau of Health and Welfare, the following cases are subject to retroactive treatment:
1: When the owner of an insurance medical institution, etc. has changed, the institution continues to open at the same time as the previous owner changes, and patients continue to receive medical treatment.
2: If the person who established the insured medical institution, etc. changes from an "individual" to a "corporate organization" or from a "corporate organization" to an "individual," and the patient continues to receive medical treatment.
3: When an insured medical institution changes its organization from a "hospital" to a "clinic" or from a "clinic" to a "hospital" and the patient continues to receive medical care.
4: If the insured medical institution, etc. moves to a nearby location and the new and old medical institutions, etc. open and close on the same day, and the patient continues to receive medical treatment.
In cases where relocation is recognized as a short-distance relocation, the relocation destination of the insurance medical institution, etc. is within the walking distance of the patient who has been receiving treatment, and the so-called patient continues to receive treatment. In principle, the relocation location must be within 2km.
Clinic relocation application flow
| 1: Consideration of clinic relocation location |
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| 2: Holding general meetings of employees, etc. |
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| 3: Signing a rental contract for the relocation location |
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4: Prior consultation with prefectures, public health centers, welfare bureaus, etc. |
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| 5: Application for approval to change the articles of incorporation/donation act |
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| 6: Permission to open a clinic at a public health center |
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| 7: Establishment of clinic (beginning of insurance treatment)/Notification of abolition of old clinic |
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| 8: Notification of opening of clinic to public health center |
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| 9: Application for insurance-designated medical institution to the Health and Welfare Bureau |
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| 10: Designation of insurance-designated medical institution (retroactive) |
For medical corporation applications, please contact Support Administrative Scrivener Corporation
At Support Administrative Scrivener Corporation, we provide application support and consulting regarding branching, relocation, etc. of clinics and hospitals for those who are establishing a new medical corporation.
Applications related to medical corporations and clinics are highly specialized and can be said to be one of the fields in which there are few administrative scriveners who can handle them.
Our staff has a track record of applying in all prefectures across the country. Please contact us by all means.
