As legislative scrutiny of facility fees intensifies in North Carolina and elsewhere, ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders are working overtime to protect what some say is the bedrock of funding for outpatient care. Facility fees, often misunderstood and frequently politicized, are now at the center of proposed legislation in multiple states, including model language introduced in North Carolina’s budget bill. While lawmakers aim to crack down on billing practices that raise patient … [Read more...]
CON Laws Under Fire: Ambulatory Surgery Centers Demand Free-Market Growth
Certificate of need (CON) laws have long shaped the development of health care facilities across the United States, originally enacted to control costs, reduce duplication of services and make sure resources were distributed in line with community needs. However, these regulations have increasingly come under scrutiny by ambulatory surgery center (ASC) operators who argue the laws restrict growth, limit physician autonomy and stifle free-market competition. Several states, most recently … [Read more...]
Hospitals vs. ASCs: How Site Neutrality Could Reshape Outpatient Care
The site-neutrality movement has rapidly become one of the most talked-about issues in health care. But what does it mean for ambulatory surgery center operators? At its core, site neutrality is about leveling the playing field between different outpatient settings by eliminating the extra facility fees that hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) often receive, Rachel Carey, counsel at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP, told Ambulatory Surgery Center News. “It's a movement to … [Read more...]