A staff shortage at the New Jersey Department of Health has left surgery centers footing the bill as a legislative backlog costs them time and resources, ROI reports.
What you should know:
1. A Department of Health official spoke to the New Jersey Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers May 29, fielding questions and criticisms about the current backlog of surgery center applications.
2. The Department of Health has recently dealt with a high level of turnover, delaying the proposal review process.
3. DOH regulatory officer Eugene Brenycz urged the assembled crowd to advance their concerns up the regulatory ladder if they were dissatisfied.
4. The dissatisfaction stems, in part, from legislation former Gov. Chris Christie signed into law requiring single-room surgery centers to undergo the same approval process as larger centers.
5. Surgery centers have poorly received the change. Many owners have said the approval process is difficult to understand, according to ROI.