Removes requirements for surgical practices to be licensed as ambulatory care facilities and requires surgical practices to register with DOH.
Impact
By passing this bill, A5828 aims to promote the establishment of new surgical practices and expand existing ones, thereby increasing the efficiency of healthcare delivery in the state. The bill stands to enhance patient access to timely surgical procedures by potentially lowering costs and improving care quality. The authors of the bill argue that current regulatory barriers contribute to hospital bottlenecks, understaffing, and delays in scheduled surgeries, significantly straining available healthcare resources.
Summary
Assembly Bill A5828 seeks to remove the current licensing requirements for surgical practices to be designated as ambulatory care facilities by the Department of Health (DOH). Instead of requiring a cumbersome licensing process, which includes stringent operational standards, the bill mandates that these surgical practices only register with a nominal fee of $1,000 and this registration will be effective for five years. The bill's sponsors posit that this shift aims to alleviate capacity issues facing hospitals and surgical centers, which are currently hindered by restrictive licensing regulations.
Contention
A point of contention within the discussions surrounding A5828 is the potential for reduced oversight and regulatory control that may arise from easing the licensing requirements. Critics express concerns that by merely requiring registration rather than full licensure, patient safety may be compromised, as the DOH will have less strict criteria to enforce. The original licensing laws were established to prevent physician self-dealing and ensure quality care; thus, there exists a concern about returning to practices that could undermine these safeguards. The bill’s proponents argue that since there are more robust transparency and disclosure regulations for physician ownership interests today, the risk of self-dealing is mitigated compared to previous years.