Florida House Health and Human Services Committee Chair Jason Brodeur Discusses Ambulatory Surgical Center Data, Legislation at Governor’s Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding Meeting in Tallahassee

Aug 13, 2015

Above: Colodny Fass’ Donovan Brown Notes Focus on Ambulatory Surgical Centers at Governor’s Healthcare and Hospital Funding Commission Meeting

State Representative Jason Brodeur was among the presenters at Florida Governor Rick Scott’s Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding (“Commission”) meeting in Tallahassee yesterday, August 12, 2015. The discussion focused on current rules and regulations relating to Florida’s ambulatory surgical centers (“ASCs”) and how to create better pricing and patients outcomes at these facilities. ACSs were described as growing in popularity, with an increasing role as an alternative healthcare delivery model.

Representative Brodeur, who also chairs the Florida House of Representatives’ Health & Human Services Committee, presented data on ACS quality reporting. He also reviewed HB 23A, a bill filed during the 2015A Special Legislative Session that would have changed the period of time a patient can stay at an ASC from the current one business day to a full 24 hours.

“I am excited to see the Commission explore alternative delivery models for outpatient procedures,” Representative Brodeur said. “Last Session, we highlighted an example of how these standalone facilities can lower costs and improve outcomes. Moving forward, we will continue to seek out ways to make the current healthcare system more efficient while maintaining a high standard of care, a goal that I am happy to also see reflected in the work of this Commission.”

Liz Dudek, Secretary of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (“AHCA”) and Co-Executive Director of the Commission, also updated Commission members on responses to her request for hospital and managed care plans to certify that rates in their contractual agreements do not exceed the 120 percent of the Medicaid fee schedule, as required by law.

Below is a list of hospitals that will be audited by Florida’s Office of Medicaid Program Integrity for either not responding to the request (indicated by an asterisk *) or failing to respond prior to the submission deadline.

Cleveland Clinic Hospital *	Baptist Hospital	Physicians Regional Medical Center – Collier Boulevard
Physicians Regional Medical Center – Pine Ridge	Flagler Hospital	Venice Regional Bayfront Health
Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart Health System	Bayfront Health Punta Gorda	Calhoun-Liberty Hospital
Campbellton-Graceville Hospital *	Doctor’s Memorial Hospital	Healthmark Regional Medical Center
Kindred Hospital – Melbourne	Kindred Hospital – Ocala	Kindred Hospital – The Palm Beaches
Kindred Hospital – Bay Area – St. Petersburg	Kindred Hospital – Bay Area – Tampa	Kindred Hospital – Central Tampa
Kindred Hospital – North Florida	Kindred Hospital – South Florida – Coral Gables	Kindred Hospital – South Florida – Ft. Lauderdale
Kindred Hospital – South Florida – Hollywood	Martin Hospital South	Martin Medical Center
Tradition Medical Center	Lake Butler Hospital	Select Specialty Hospital – Orlando (North)
Select Specialty Hospital – Palm Beach	Select Specialty Hospital – Panama City *	Shands Live Oak Regional Medical Center *
West Gables Rehabilitation Hospital

Secretary Dudek said, “We are disappointed the facilities listed did not meet the deadline we set for responses. Moving the Medicaid program into managed care is about bringing stability to health care costs. In order to ensure tax dollars are being spent as set out in law, those that failed to respond will now be subject to an audit by the Office of Medicaid Program Integrity. The Commission’s task is to help define cost drivers in health care and offer solutions. These audits coupled with the responses we’ve already received bring us a step closer to achieving that goal.”

The Commission was also joined by Dr. David Shapiro, an anesthesiologist and Board member of the National ASC Quality Collaborative, who played a leading role in advising ASCs around the country on how best to report quality metrics. He shared his experiences at Red Hills Surgical Center, a licensed ASC operating in Tallahassee. His presentation centered on quality of care and improved health outcomes that can occur in such a specialized treatment facility.

Dr. Dean Watson, Chief Medical Officer of Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, described services provided on both an inpatient and outpatient basis at his facility and reviewed current operations at its freestanding emergency department.

The meeting materials can be accessed through the hyperlinks below: