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SC health plan requires accreditation, supports multi-specialties

Ambulatory Surgery Reimbursement Update, February 15, 2005

The final version of the South Carolina Health Plan has been approved, and any unaccredited or single specialty ambulatory surgery center (ASC) may not like the state's position.

The health plan requires ASCs to not only conform to local, state, and federal regulatory requirements, but also to seek accreditation from a nationally recognized accrediting organization such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) or the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities (AAAASF).

The plan would also require single-specialty ASCs to apply for a certificate of need (CON) before it can officially add surgical specialties. The plan says that, "it is the position of the Department that ambulatory surgery facilities open to and equipped for all surgical specialties will detter serve the community than those targeted towards a single specialty or group of practitioners."

Also worth noting is that a proposed moratorium-which would have limited the ability for expanding ASCs and existing ASCs to apply for a CON-did not go through. The department of health will study the impact of ASCs on the state's healthcare system to develop revised standards for the plan's next edition.

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