New
York, NY (December 11, 2000) — Emergency
rules filed November 8th by the Florida
Board of Medicine in regard to office surgery
will expire on February 5, 2001. The rules
took the place of a 90-day office surgery
moratorium that expired that day and are
expected to form the basis for permanent
regulations. Nationally, only a handful
of states regulate office surgery, but action
has been seen in some 17 states, ranging
from preliminary hearings to formal regulations.

According to the American Medical Association,
20 percent of surgical procedures nationwide
are expected to be performed in office-based
facilities in 2001, and while some doctors
argue that regulations for office oversight
would eliminate the efficiency and cost
advantage of that setting, others take the
position that patient safety demands peer
review and formal accreditation of office-based
facilities.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery (ASAPS) has provided numerous state
boards with recommended guidelines for office-based
surgery, and has gone on record supporting
mandatory facility accreditation.

Patient safety is paramount. The Society’s
position is that successful aesthetic surgery
begins with a plastic surgeon certified
by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
who 1) has hospital privileges for the procedure
being planned and 2) performs that procedure
in a surgical setting equipped in an equivalent
manner as would be necessary if the same
procedure were performed in an acute care
hospital. Published data confirm that when
performed in an accredited facility by properly
credentialed surgeons, office-based surgery
is a safe, convenient and cost-effective
option for properly selected patients.

Following is a summary of the rules
imposed by the Florida Board of Medicine:

Definitions

Facilities:

Level II – administration of intravenous
sedative or analgesic drugs

Level III – administration of general
anesthesia

Patients:

Class II – well-controlled status
where condition does not affect daily activities

Class III– condition status limits
daily activity

Rules

1. No combination of abdominoplasty and
   liposuction; no liposuction simultaneous
   with other surgical procedures.