Architectural Review Unit

Introducing a more efficient and effective customer engagement process for physical plant and building systems additions, modifications, improvements, and upgrades for the following acute health care facility types:

• Ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs)
• Crisis stabilization units (CSUs)
• End stage renal disease (ESRD) facilities with in-center treatment and (with or without home training)
• ESRD facilities offering only home training
• Freestanding emergency medical care (FEMC) facilities
• General hospitals
• Private psychiatric hospitals
• Special care facilities
• Special hospitals

Effective June 12, 2023, a facility in any of the categories above must create an online account on the Texas Unified Licensure Information Portal (TULIP) before any of the following occur at the facility or a facility site:

• Construction of a facility that is:
  • Applying for an initial health care license
  • Relocating a health care facility
  • Adding a facility to a multiple licensed facility
  • Re-opening a closed facility
  • Converting a licensed or previously licensed health care facility to a different licensed designation
  • Construction, addition, alteration, renovation, remodeling, equipment and finish upgrade, or repair
  • Building system upgrades
  • Infill of a shelled space
  • Removing a function
  • Demolition
  • Change of service or function in a room or area
  • Retrofitting a function
  • Change of a licensed bed designation or end stage renal disease treatment and training station designation (including adding or eliminating beds or stations)
  • Incorporating an outpatient service
  • Incorporating an invasive procedural service

  TULIP Features

  Health care facilities and design firms can communicate and securely exchange information through TULIP, which includes the following features:

  • Cloud-based plan room
  • Online feasibility scheduling
  • Online application submissions
  • Online inspection submissions
  • Online payments, using a credit or debit card or ACH
  • Online data entry for plan of corrections for both plan review deficiencies and inspection deficiencies
  • Automatic reminders for feasibility conferences, inspection dates, and plan of corrections
  • Automatic replies when HHSC receives submissions for applications, inspection submittals, plans of corrections (both plan reviews and inspections)

  TULIP Registration

  The health care facility administrator or designated facility staff member must first register in the portal before a design firm may register.

  To register a facility, you will need both the EIN (federal tax identification number) and the physical location of each licensed facility you are registering.

  • For facilities with several licensed facilities under one EIN, you must identify the parent licensed facility.
  • You must register each facility with an EIN separately by the facility administrator or designee facility staff member.

  Your social security number (SSN) is your unique identifier for TULIP.

  If there is an architectural or engineering firm associated with your project, the design firm must wait to register at least one hour after the facility administrator or designated facility staff member registers in TULIP.

  For more information on TULIP registration, please refer to the attached instructions.

  Note: If you hold a current project with the Architectural Review Unit, and the application number is a five-digit number starting with either 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17, you will continue the architectural review process in the same manner as you did before June 12, 2023.

  Security Information

  TULIP masks your SSN from HHS employees. Your SSN is protected by Salesforce through federal government cloud-level encryption.

  Using an SSN for registration confirms a user does not already exist in TULIP and prevents a future user from registering with the same number. This assists in preventing identity theft and unauthorized individuals gaining access to provider and patient records.

  HHSC also uses the TULIP system to track licensing, complaints, and background checks.

  Support

  Architectural Review Unit staff does not have access to TULIP but can assist with questions during your registration and submission process.