What you should know:
1. The Senate is considering two bills. The first bill would repeal CONs for adding psychiatric beds, but would require psychiatric hospitals to accept public patients and keep half of their beds available to public patients. The second would repeal CONs for air ambulance services and would eliminate restrictions around performing cardiac procedures in outpatient settings.
2. Hospital lobbyists said they supported updating the CON system, but did not support eliminating it. They said eliminating CONs would decrease access and increase costs, a frequently debunked argument, according to the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
3. The Senate is working to pass legislation to save money on services and increase outpatient activity in the state.
4. The Senate heard several other CON-related measures in December, which were supported by members of the state’s CON Commission.
More articles on surgery centers:
Alignment, standardization and sole-source partnership — How Mercy brought the Quadruple Aim to orthopedics
Orthopedic surgeon salary, hospital employment on the rise: 3 statistics
5 expert insights on outpatient joint replacements in 2019
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.