New Legislation Expands Access to Surgical Recovery Care Across Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Floridians for Better Community Care: Florida patients and families who seek surgical care in the state's ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) could soon benefit from improved recovery times under new legislation (HB 999, SB 1394) introduced in Tallahassee - a measure which would also lower healthcare costs across the state by preventing avoidable admissions to higher cost healthcare settings following surgery.

The new policy, sponsored by Representative Heather Fitzenhagen (R-78) and Senator Audrey Gibson (D-9) would revise an outdated Florida law requiring that surgical patients in ASCs be discharged by close of business, or otherwise face admission to a hospital. Instead, patients would be permitted to remain in an ASC for up to 23 hours while they recover from procedures.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and 33 states have already recognized that improved recovery times lead to better patient care and lower healthcare costs for patients, employers and taxpayers, and have implemented laws allowing for 23-hour stays in an ASC.  

"While ambulatory surgical centers are already a critical part of Florida's healthcare delivery system, increasing recovery times would further enhance our ability to provide safe, clinically sophisticated and cost-effective care. My colleagues and I applaud Rep. Fitzenhagen and Sen. Gibson for demonstrating a commitment to patients, families and employers across Florida by introducing this legislation," said Brian Rye, Administrator for Melbourne Surgery Center. "Patients widely prefer ASCs because of their convenience and dedication to excellence, and this new law would expand their access to quality, cost-effective care."

Current law requiring that patients be discharged from an ASC on the day of surgery creates unnecessary costs to the patient and the healthcare system because many patients – who might only need another few hours to recover from anesthesia or post-surgical pain – instead have to be transferred to other settings for continued post-surgical care.

Florida is home to more than 400 Ambulatory Surgery Centers, which are freestanding community-based facilities where surgeons and other physicians perform minimally invasive procedures. ASCs are fully 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.

"Allowing for a patient to fully recover simply makes more sense than the inconvenience, greater infection risks and increased costs resulting from hospitalization," added Rye.  "It's time for Florida's healthcare system to catch up and adopt modern surgical recovery care practices for the benefit of patients, taxpayers and our State."

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.

In addition to savings, ASCs enjoy a 92 percent patient satisfaction rate and experience low infection rates of less then one percent due to highly controlled environments, rigorous infection prevention and early detection practices.

SOURCE Floridians for Better Community Care