Regulation of Ambulatory Centers
ASCs or ambulatory surgery centers are some of the most regulated facilities as far as frontier healthcare goes in the nation. While all must comply with some standards, some can also have their own standards - depending on the state in which they service. We will go over some of these state made laws in a few minutes. Ambulatory surgery center standards cover a variety of rules such as day to day operations, services as well as how they are paid. Most of the ambulatory surgery centers nationwide do offer Medicare options and allow patients to pay via Medicare, but because of this they must also follow a set of federal government rules, regulations and requirements. If a center does not comply with these standards, they will no longer be allowed to offer Medicare via payments to the services. These rules, albeit a little confusing and detailed, are set into place so that patients can stay safe as well as quality services for their healthcare needs. Because these are privately owned and usually owned and run by physicians, it’s also important that they obey any federal and state laws, as well as Medicare laws so that they will not be shut down.
State Licenses: 46 of the states in the US must be licensed under their own state law. These states include; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, new Hampshire, new Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.. Each state, of course, has its own requirements for licensing, but usually they ask for the same type if initial and ongoing inspections as well as reporting for the center.
Third Party Accreditation: 28 of the states also require state accreditation. The three accreditation bodies recognized are Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), and JCAHO.
State Certificate: 25 of the states in the US also need to have a certificate of need, which applies to centers such of these. This specific law is used to keep costs controlled and to help (hopefully) avoid overbuilding of the ambulatory surgery centers - right now there are about 6000 in the US alone.
Accreditation for Medicare: For an ambulatory surgery center to have Medicare, they have to be certified beneath the Medicare program to offer it.
Voluntary Accreditation: Some ambulatory surgery centers can also get accredited by AAAHC, AAAAS or JCAHO voluntarily.
Just like any other business that offers a service to the people, such as hospitals, hospices, old folk’s homes, restaurants and cafeterias, an ambulatory center must also go through strict inspections. All doctors must have the specified degrees needed, and the center itself must have a certain set of quality standards before they are allowed to do any surgeries or procedures. This should give you peace of mind when choosing an Ambulatory Surgery Center for your condition and procedure. Also, most states in the US require a license for operation. While many of the other centers also get additional accreditation via organizations like the AAAHC. Beyond just staff and the center, the tools and equipment that a center uses must also be tested regularly and thoroughly to make sure they work correctly, are cleaned and disinfected and that they are also up to date with the newest and latest models.
Beyond just accreditation, some ambulatory surgery centers may only be allowed to offer certain services and procedures. Again, it’s all about federal and state regulations and rules. As a health care facility you need to familiarize yourself with these regulations and as a patient, you need to be aware that perhaps in certain states your treatment may be illegal or under strict guidelines. One of the best things you can do as a patient is to take a look at your states rules and regulations when it comes to ambulatory surgery centers - or use the acronym ASC. You can clearly see the laws by visiting your local state law website too. For example, if you look up Pennsylvania Ambulatory Surgery Center laws, this shows up:
"The Department of Health, Division of Acute and Ambulatory Care is responsible for the licensing and oversight of Pennsylvania’s 271 ambulatory surgical facilities. The division conducts the Medicare and licensure surveys, and complaint and incident investigations for these facilities."
Then it goes on to list the compliances in which PA must follow. You can also find and search for ambulatory surgery centers on this page - or whatever your specific state is. You can search by certain states, certain counties or specific types of facilities, in this case, ambulatory surgery centers or outpatient surgery centers.
State Licenses: 46 of the states in the US must be licensed under their own state law. These states include; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, new Hampshire, new Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.. Each state, of course, has its own requirements for licensing, but usually they ask for the same type if initial and ongoing inspections as well as reporting for the center.
Third Party Accreditation: 28 of the states also require state accreditation. The three accreditation bodies recognized are Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), and JCAHO.
State Certificate: 25 of the states in the US also need to have a certificate of need, which applies to centers such of these. This specific law is used to keep costs controlled and to help (hopefully) avoid overbuilding of the ambulatory surgery centers - right now there are about 6000 in the US alone.
Accreditation for Medicare: For an ambulatory surgery center to have Medicare, they have to be certified beneath the Medicare program to offer it.
Voluntary Accreditation: Some ambulatory surgery centers can also get accredited by AAAHC, AAAAS or JCAHO voluntarily.
Just like any other business that offers a service to the people, such as hospitals, hospices, old folk’s homes, restaurants and cafeterias, an ambulatory center must also go through strict inspections. All doctors must have the specified degrees needed, and the center itself must have a certain set of quality standards before they are allowed to do any surgeries or procedures. This should give you peace of mind when choosing an Ambulatory Surgery Center for your condition and procedure. Also, most states in the US require a license for operation. While many of the other centers also get additional accreditation via organizations like the AAAHC. Beyond just staff and the center, the tools and equipment that a center uses must also be tested regularly and thoroughly to make sure they work correctly, are cleaned and disinfected and that they are also up to date with the newest and latest models.
Beyond just accreditation, some ambulatory surgery centers may only be allowed to offer certain services and procedures. Again, it’s all about federal and state regulations and rules. As a health care facility you need to familiarize yourself with these regulations and as a patient, you need to be aware that perhaps in certain states your treatment may be illegal or under strict guidelines. One of the best things you can do as a patient is to take a look at your states rules and regulations when it comes to ambulatory surgery centers - or use the acronym ASC. You can clearly see the laws by visiting your local state law website too. For example, if you look up Pennsylvania Ambulatory Surgery Center laws, this shows up:
"The Department of Health, Division of Acute and Ambulatory Care is responsible for the licensing and oversight of Pennsylvania’s 271 ambulatory surgical facilities. The division conducts the Medicare and licensure surveys, and complaint and incident investigations for these facilities."
Then it goes on to list the compliances in which PA must follow. You can also find and search for ambulatory surgery centers on this page - or whatever your specific state is. You can search by certain states, certain counties or specific types of facilities, in this case, ambulatory surgery centers or outpatient surgery centers.