FL, IA legislatures pass CON reforms

Picking up on a trend that seems to be mounting nationwide, Florida and Iowa legislators have passed bills that will reform their respective certificate-of-need processes. Fulfilling one of his often-stated goals, Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R) plans to sign the legislation, which not only simplifies the process, but also includes a "loser pays" section that tries to discourage lawsuits designed to delay the launch of a new facilities.

Meanwhile, Iowa's CON legislation may or may not pass, as Gov. Chet Culver (D) hasn't said where he stands. Passing CON reforms there is complicated by the fact that the reforms are buried in a larger bill that addresses varied financing and policy issues. The bill would let replacement critical-access hospitals serving 75 percent of the same area, providing 75 percent of the same services and keeping 75 percent of the same staff avoid the CON process entirely.

To learn more about these bills:
- read this Modern Healthcare article [1]

Related Articles:
IA bill exempts some hospitals from CON process [2]
FL governor wants to end CON law [3]
GA may approve sweeping CON changes [4]
AL study questions need for CON process [5]
RI reviews med equipment CON process [6]