Florida House Passes Bill to Expand Access to Surgical Recovery Care

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following release is being issued by Floridians for Better Community Care:

The House of Representatives today passed a measure (HB 23A) to improve recovery times in the state's 400 Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC), which advocates say will lower healthcare costs across the state by preventing avoidable admissions to higher cost healthcare settings following surgery. The bill passed by a 78 to 21 vote.

The bill revises an outdated Florida law requiring that surgical patients in ASCs be discharged by close of business, or otherwise face admission to a hospital.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 same-day surgical procedures.

ASC advocates across the state commended the House of Representatives and urged the Senate to act.

"I am asking our Senate partners to join us in creating a new path for better healthcare delivery and advance this pro-patient legislation," said Representative Heather Fitzenhagen (District 78). "I believe we can work together to create new healthcare options. Floridians are counting on us to expand consumer choice and enhance our ability to provide safe, cost-effective care in the setting patients prefer. "

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recognized that improved recovery times lead to better patient care and lower healthcare costs, issuing regulations permitting 23-hour stays in the ASC setting. Thirty-six states have also passed laws allowing for 23-hour stays in an ASC. Most recently, Maryland and South Carolina adopted 23-hour ACS policies.

SOURCE Floridians for Better Community Care