Nevada physicians have raised concerns about new regulations on office-based surgical facilities and ambulatory surgery centers that have been proposed in response to last year’s outbreak of hepatitis C stemming from unsafe medication practices at Las Vegas outpatient clinics.
One of the proposed measures would require ASCs and doctor’s offices that perform general anesthesia, deep sedation and conscious sedation to be inspected annually by the state and obtain state permits and national accreditation. According to a published report, the state estimates that surgical facilities and doctors’ offices would have to pay about $2,000 to $3,000 annually for state inspection and permitting, plus the cost of obtaining national accreditation.
Representatives of the Nevada State Medical Association have asked lawmakers to exempt offices that only perform conscious sedation from the inspection and permitting requirement, which they say could deter some physicians from using conscious sedation. "I personally, and the physicians I represent, are concerned that the regulation in the legislation may cause our patients more pain and anxiety than is necessary," NSMA Secretary Ron Kline, MD, told lawmakers.
Other proposals include tighter whistleblower protections for those who report poor infection control practices and stronger requirements on the reporting and investigation of adverse events at Nevada surgical facilities.
—Irene Tsikitas
