Here are seven updates for ASC leaders to note:
Florida Senate approves 24-hour stays in ASCs
Florida Senate ruled in favor of House Bill 145, which permits overnight stays at ASCs. Prior versions of the bill passed in the state House, but never gained traction in the Florida Senate. However, the Senate opted to support the bill which changes the amount of time patients can recover in ASCs.
Trump picks Dr. Scott Gottlieb as FDA commissioner
President Donald Trump selected Scott Gottlieb, MD, a physician well-seasoned in government service, as FDA commissioner. Dr. Gottlieb was a senior adviser to the FDA commissioner from 2003 to 2004.
Board to consider independent physicians proposal for ASC in Vermont
The Green Mountain Care (Vt.) Board set a hearing date regarding an application that independent physicians filed two years ago to build an ASC in Colchester, Vt. The physicians' proposed ASC would cost $1.8 million to build and would offer orthopedic and spine procedures, among others.
Senate confirms Seema Verma as CMS administrator
On March 14, 2017, the Senate approved Ms. Verma in a 55 to 43 vote, which was mainly along party lines. As CMS administrator, Ms. Verma will oversee the $1 trillion agency that manages health insurance programs for more than 130 million Americans.
Nobilis Health closes $13.3M acquisition of Hamilton Vein Center
Houston-based Nobilis Health closed its acquisition of Hamilton Vein Center in Sugar Land, Texas. The company acquired Hamilton Vein Center for around $13.3 million, including $8.3 million in cash and $5 million in the form of convertible note.
ASCA partners with American Joint Replacement Registry for outpatient total joint data
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association partnered with the American Joint Replacement Registry to encourage ASCA membership to use the registry. There are now around 6,300 surgeons using the registry and nearly 1 million procedures logged.
CBO: AHCA to cost 24M health coverage by 2026
The Congressional Budget Office, composed of non-partisan analysts, estimate the American Health Care Act will cost 14 million more Americans their insurance in 2018 compared to the ACA. By 2026, 24 million would lose coverage under the AHCA, the CBO estimates.