The bill proposes to amend the regulation of surgical practices in New Jersey by eliminating the requirement for these practices to be licensed as ambulatory care facilities. Instead, surgical practices will be required to register with the Department of Health (DOH), using prescribed forms and paying a registration fee not exceeding $1,000, valid for five years. The bill also specifies that Medicare-certified or accredited surgical practices will be exempt from certain physical plant and functional requirements, and registered practices will not be subject to the ambulatory care facility assessment unless they expand their operations. Additionally, the bill removes the moratorium on issuing new registrations for surgical practices.

To enhance oversight, the bill mandates that surgical practices report any changes in ownership and provide annual updates on key personnel. It also establishes conditions for practitioners referring patients to healthcare services in which they have a significant beneficial interest, promoting transparency and ethical compliance. The overall intent of the bill is to alleviate the burden on hospital operating rooms, improve patient access to surgical procedures, and reduce healthcare costs by streamlining the regulatory framework for surgical practices. The sponsor argues that existing disclosure requirements for ownership interests mitigate concerns about physician self-dealing, thereby supporting the need for more surgical options for patients.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 26:2H-12, 45:9-22.5