Andrew Weiss, president of the New Jersey Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers, is hoping a proposal aimed at consolidating parts of the licensing process will take effect, arguing the association “wants the same standards for the sake of the patients.”
Here are five takeaways:
1. The legislation would also allow nonprofit hospitals to acquire one-room facilities, in addition to permitting one-room facilities to merge.
2. Of the 360 ASCs in New Jersey, the state Department of Health licenses nearly one half while the Board of Medical Examiners licenses the remaining half.
3. Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) and former acting governor Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) sponsored the legislation, which the Senate’s health committee will vote on today. Additionally, the Assembly’s health committee approved a different version of the legislation earlier this year, and is pending action by the entire state House.
4. While the legislation does not directly speak to safety concerns, legislation supporters argue having two different regulatory standards could be detrimental to patient safety. In 2011, a New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute analyzed 91 DOH inspections over a two-year time span, and noted significant compliance issues in 15 percent of such facilities.
5. Sen. Vitale previously sponsored legislation seeking to change regulation, yet Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the measure in response to health department officials saying the regulation may change the way it would tax ASCs. Currently, DOH-licensed ASCs pay a gross receipts tax, which surpasses $16 million per year. The new legislation would phase in the gross receipts tax on newly DOH-registered ASCs over a five-year span, until the ASCs can pay the same 2.95 percent that existing ASCs pay.
More articles on surgery centers:
SCA, Naperville Surgical Centre partner: 4 key notes
SCA establishes its 1st physician advisory board, with 6 members
AmSurg, Envision Healthcare finalize $10B merger: 8 things to know
