Florida House Republicans could be poised to make a renewed attempt to allow types of health-care facilities known as “recovery care centers,” where patients could stay up to 72 hours after undergoing surgical procedures.
Rep. Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican who is expected to become House speaker in 2022, filed a bill (HB 23) on Wednesday that would allow the centers in Florida. The measure also would allow patients to stay in ambulatory-surgical centers for up to 24 hours, ending a prohibition on overnight stays.
House Republican leaders have repeatedly pitched the recovery-care center and ambulatory-surgical center proposals in recent years but have not been able to get the Senate to go along. The proposals are part of a push by House leaders to lift some regulations on the health-care industry.
Renner's bill is filed for the 2018 legislative session, which starts in January. Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, has filed a bill (SB 250) that would allow patients to stay up to 24 hours in ambulatory-surgical centers, but his proposal does not include authorizing recovery care centers.
