Here are three legislative updates for ASC leaders to know:
Rep. Paul Renner, R-Sarasota. filed bill HB 23 Oct. 19 that would permit up to 24-hour patient stays at ASCs, which currently are outlawed in the state. The bill also would allow the state to open recovery care centers where patients could stay up to 72 hours.
The Georgia Supreme Court ruled against Cartersville, Ga.-based The Georgia Advanced Surgery Center for Women owners who filed a suit against the Georgia Department of Community Health after officials denied their certificate-of-need application to add a second OR to the ASC. The court opted to uphold the state's CON legislation.
Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., went public with a bipartisan healthcare agreement Oct. 17 that would extend cost-sharing reduction payments through 2019 and give states greater flexibility in using ACA innovation waivers, or 1332s, to shape their health insurance marketplaces.