Regulations introduced by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health would severely limit the ability of ASCs to provide care, according to an editorial by Linda Rahm, president of the Massachusetts Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers and administrator of Pioneer Valley Surgicenter in Springfield, Mass.
According to Ms. Rahm, a Medicare patient can save up to 60 percent by undergoing a procedure at a physician-owned surgery center rather than a hospital. The Department of Public Health's "emergency" Determination of Need regulations would remove this low-cost, high-quality option by prohibiting ASCs from expanding facilities or services, she said.
"This would perpetuate and amplify the uneven playing field between hospital outpatient facilities and ASCs in the state, resulting in increased healthcare costs and decreased options across Massachusetts at a time when healthcare is already being hotly debated nationwide," she wrote.
Ms. Rahm wrote that if DPH passes the determination of need regulations and ASCs are no longer able to compete with hospitals in infrastructure expansions, healthcare costs will continue to rise for patients already struggling with medical bills.
Related Articles on ASC Legislation:
Massachusetts Could Regulate Reimbursement Rates for Physicians, Hospitals
Massachusetts Regulations Would Prevent ASC Expansion Without State Approval
New Jersey Bill Focuses on Healthcare Disclosures & Transparency
According to Ms. Rahm, a Medicare patient can save up to 60 percent by undergoing a procedure at a physician-owned surgery center rather than a hospital. The Department of Public Health's "emergency" Determination of Need regulations would remove this low-cost, high-quality option by prohibiting ASCs from expanding facilities or services, she said.
"This would perpetuate and amplify the uneven playing field between hospital outpatient facilities and ASCs in the state, resulting in increased healthcare costs and decreased options across Massachusetts at a time when healthcare is already being hotly debated nationwide," she wrote.
Ms. Rahm wrote that if DPH passes the determination of need regulations and ASCs are no longer able to compete with hospitals in infrastructure expansions, healthcare costs will continue to rise for patients already struggling with medical bills.
Related Articles on ASC Legislation:
Massachusetts Could Regulate Reimbursement Rates for Physicians, Hospitals
Massachusetts Regulations Would Prevent ASC Expansion Without State Approval
New Jersey Bill Focuses on Healthcare Disclosures & Transparency