A Senate Republican on Tuesday proposed allowing patients to stay in ambulatory surgical centers for up to 24 hours, likely refueling a debate about regulation of the centers.
The bill (SB 250), filed by Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, will be considered during the 2018 legislative session, which starts in January.
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Under current law, patients are not allowed to stay overnight in ambulatory surgical centers.
The House in recent years has pushed to ease that regulation to allow patients to stay up to 24 hours but has not been able to get agreement from the Senate.
Steube's bill is different from some earlier versions because it would not authorize the operation of what are known as “recovery care centers,” where patients could stay up to 72 hours after surgery.
Previous bills have linked the two issues.