On June 29, 2011, the New Jersey Senate voted to pass Senate Bill No. 2780, which would amend existing New Jersey health care facility licensure statutes to require that one-room surgical practices operating in New Jersey obtain state licensure. The term “surgical practice” is essentially defined to include any structure or suite of rooms that has no more than one room dedicated for use as an operating room, has one or more post-anesthesia care units or dedicated recovery areas and is established by a physician, physician-known entity or other professional practice for use by the physician’s private practice.
The bill, if passed, would impose various physical plant and functional requirements on one room surgical suites unless the entity is certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) as an ambulatory surgery center, but would exempt these entities from the New Jersey health care facilities tax assessment applicable to true ambulatory surgery centers.