Fairfax, Va.-based George Mason University studies show that certificate of needs laws directly decrease quality of care and increase costs, VermontWatchdog.org reports.
Here's what you need to know.
1. The laws have large implications for Vermont, which has the most restrictive CON laws in the nation.
2. The laws require new practices to prove the community they're entering has a need for medical services.
3. The George Mason studies show hospitals in states with CON laws have lower levels of care in eight categories. They also have a death rate 2.5 to 5 percent higher than states without CON laws.
4. The second study proved that the per unit cost of treatment, hospital investments and total patient expenditures all increase in states with CON laws.
5. Executive director of HealthFirst Amy Cooper, PhS, operates an ambulatory surgery center, the only one in the state.
To obtain a permit to open her ASC, Ms. Cooper said she had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollar to cover the various application components.
"These requirements make it incredibly hard for any health provider to start in Vermont, because they have to have the initial capital to attempt to application process," Dr. Cooper said.
6. The studies’ authors recommended the establishment of free-market practices.
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