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Ambulatory surgical centers
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) regulates and licenses ASCs, defined as facilities that are not part of a hospital that may also be Medicaid/Medicare certified. The regulations state that the primary purpose of this type of facility is to provide elective surgical care and that the the patient is admitted to and discharged from the facility within the same working day. Overnight stays are not permitted.

In the state of Florida, licensed ASCs accredited by the Accreditation Association or other approved accreditation entity are exempt from annual state licensing surveys. However, AHCA maintains that it conducts license validation surveys each year on a minimum of five percent of the facilities that have received accreditation. These surveys are completed within 60 days of the accreditation organization's survey date.

For more information on licensing and regulation of ASCs in Florida, see AHCA's web site at: http://www.fdhc.state.fl.us/MCHQ/
Health_Facility_Regulation/Hospital_Outpatient/
ambulatory.shtml

Office-based surgery
Florida law has detailed regulations governing physician office-based surgery. Offices where certain levels of anesthesia or sedation are used must undergo annual inspection by the Department of Health or be accredited by the Accreditation Association or another approved accreditation entity. The rules provide standards that vary by degree of anesthesia used (Levels I, II and III). Offices that are accredited through the Accreditation Association or inspected by the state are both responsible for complying with these regulations, that include in part, registration of the physician, maintaining a surgical log, limit on the duration of a procedure, limits on liposuction removal, training requirements, and equipment.

The physician office surgery regulations are contained in the Rule 64B8-9.009 of the Florida Administrative Code, https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?ID=64B8-9.009