Some of the bureaucratic red tape that Pennsylvania surgery centers face will be stripped away once Gov. Tom Wolf signs legislation two years in the making, wearecentralpa.com reported July 7.
Senate Bill 818, would loosen rules and regulations that have limited ASCs in Pennsylvania, according to the report.
The new law would loosen rules and regulations that have hampered ASCs across the state, according to the report. Pennsylvania law currently requires surgery centers to get special authorization to perform nonhospitalization treatments, despite CMS having ruled them safe to perform for more than 15 years.
"This legislation aligns the procedures permitted in Pennsylvania's ASCs with that of CMS without requiring ASCs in the Commonwealth to undertake a time-consuming, burdensome exception process — one that is not necessary at the federal level nor in other states across the United States," GOP state Sen. Judy Ward said.
This waiver process takes up to two years to complete and increases costs for providers while limiting patients’ access to care and freedom of choice, according to Ms. Ward, who said the law will "increase healthcare access. lower costs and is a win for patients and providers."