North Carolina Bill Would Make Opening Physician-Owned ASCs Easier

Tags: ASC | bill | certificate of need | north carolina | outpatient surgery | surgery center

Three Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have sponsored a bill that could make opening ambulatory surgery centers easier, according to a News Observer report.

North Carolina currently includes a strict certificate of need program, which the legislation would ease. The bill would eliminate the limit on single-specialty operating rooms for ASCs; exempt diagnostic centers from CON review for some imaging equipment; prohibit hospitals from relocating ORs out of their main campus; and require providers opening new ORs to demonstrate they would perform at least 800 procedures per year, according to the report.

The North Carolina Hospital Association opposes the bill, which the crafters say is aimed at creating more competition and providing a lower cost option for medical care. There are currently less than 100 ASCs operating in the state, according to the report.

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