This legislation greatly expands the role of ASCs and Recovery Care Centers without providing the necessary and proper safeguards for patients. Do not expand ASC length of stay.
- Ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) in Florida are currently permitted to only provide elective surgical procedures to patients admitted and discharged within the same working day.
- The nature of surgical procedures and duration of patient stays at ASCs are limited because ASCs lack nearly all of the life-saving personnel and equipment required of hospitals.
- ASCs are not subject to the same strict regulatory requirements as hospitals, which serve to protect patients. Many ASCs do not have detailed procedures in place to avoid medical errors and to ensure that staff is properly trained to follow those procedures.
- ASCs are not equipped to provide essential emergency care and staff are not trained to handle crisis situations.
- If an emergency situation does arise during a procedure, the patient must wait to be transferred to a hospital.
- In a hospital setting, the patient can immediately receive emergency care at the hospital.
- Older patients are more vulnerable to complications during surgery and deteriorate more rapidly during a crisis.
Higher acuity patients, such as seniors and children, needing more complex procedures should not be induced to seek treatment at facilities that are not properly equipped to care for their safety.
STATES: Florida
BILLS: TBD
