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) for a nonrefundable fee not exceeding $1,000, valid for five years. This change aims to streamline the regulatory process while ensuring that surgical practices continue to meet essential health and safety standards. The bill also clarifies the definition of a surgical practice, specifying necessary characteristics such as having a dedicated operating room and post-anesthesia care units, and removes the moratorium on issuing new registrations for surgical practices.

Furthermore, the bill provides exemptions for Medicare-certified or accredited surgical practices from certain physical plant and functional requirements, and it exempts registered surgical practices from the ambulatory care facility assessment unless they expand to include additional operating rooms. The intent of the bill is to alleviate the burden on hospital operating rooms, which are currently overcapacity, thereby improving patient access to surgical procedures and reducing healthcare costs. Concerns regarding physician self-dealing in referrals are considered less significant due to existing disclosure requirements for ownership interests in healthcare practices, ultimately fostering a more accessible and efficient healthcare system in New Jersey.

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