F.To be accredited, facilities must meet strict standards for equipment, operating—room safety, personnel training and surgeon credentials.Doctor''s offices in states with no regulation may perform surgery solely under the medical license of the physician with no formal licensing or accreditation requirements.Some doctors choose to be voluntarily accredited by one of three agencies that perform the inspections, but the process can cost several thousand dollars.
G."People might think that most office—based practices have some level of oversight and accountability, but they often don''t," says Fay Rozovsky, a health—care risk management consultant, who advises hospitals and medical institutions, “and without some kind of regulatory framework that is enforced by state authorities, it is possible that complications can result in catastrophic outcomes.” Somefacilities that call themselves surgery centers are really glorified doctor''s offices that aren''t accredited or certified by Medicare.To qualify as an ambulatory surgery center, for example, a facility can''t have any other business operations or shared waiting—room space for non—surgical patients.