TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As
Florida lawmakers prepare to enter
the extended legislative session next month, the Floridians for
Better Community Care and other advocates from across
Florida's ambulatory surgical care
community are urging lawmakers to advance legislation (HB 23A) that
would expand recovery times for patients seeking same-day surgical
procedures in the state's 400 Ambulatory Surgery Centers
(ASC). Proponents of the measure stress that the new policy
would prevent costly admissions to healthcare settings following
surgery, therefore lowering healthcare costs throughout the
state.
An antiquated Florida law
currently requires that surgical patients receiving care in ASCs
must be discharged by close of business, even if they would benefit
from additional recuperative care. As a result, this law has
resulted in frequent and costly admissions to hospitals. In
response, this legislation would allow patients to recuperate
following surgery in an ASC for up to 23 hours, which would
significantly reduce the costs and risks associated with patient
transfer.
Underscoring the merits of this policy is the fact that 35 U.S.
states have already adopted this reform, recognizing that improved
recovery times lead to better patient care and lower healthcare
costs for patients, employers and taxpayers. Just last
week, Maryland became the latest
state to embrace this common-sense reform when it passed a law
allowing 23-hour stays in the ambulatory surgical care
setting. Furthermore, the federal Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) has also issued policy in support of
23-hour recovery care.
"Florida's legislature should
join the majority of states allowing 23-hour recovery care by
enacting this policy in the extended legislative session," said
Kathleen Myers, an administrator
with the Orlando Center for Outpatient Surgery who is advocating
for passage of HB 23A. "This policy has received broad,
bipartisan support. It's time to make this policy law."
Florida's current law creates
unnecessary costs to patients, employers, and the healthcare system
because many patients – who might only need another few hours to
recuperate from anesthesia or post-surgical pain – instead have to
be transferred to other settings for continued post-surgical
care.
"Patients should have the option to fully recover following
same-day surgery in the setting they prefer, which offers
convenience, fewer infection risks, and lower costs," added Myers.
"That's why we are urging our state lawmakers to improve
patient choice and save valuable taxpayer dollars by adopting this
common-sense reform."
On average, Medicare reimburses ASCs at a rate that is nearly
half (55 percent) of the amount Medicare pays to hospital
outpatient departments (HOPDs). ASCs generated $7.5 billion in federal Medicare savings from
2008-2011, which translates into lower costs for patients, their
families and their employers.
Ambulatory surgery centers are freestanding community-based
facilities, regulated by federal and state entities and are
evaluated by independent parties for state licensure, Medicare
certification, and accreditation. In 2013, more than 1.5 million
surgical procedures were safely performed in ASCs statewide.
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SOURCE Floridians for Better Community Care