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Committee weighs measure to let freestanding emergency centers offer outpatient services to support rural access
Summary
Sen. Hinojosa’s SB 1511 would allow freestanding emergency centers to provide outpatient care, imaging and labs and add consumer protections to limit facility fees and balance billing; supporters said the change would sustain rural access while skeptics warned of past abuses by some operators.
Sen. Hinojosa laid out the committee substitute for Senate Bill 15-11, which would expand the permitted services of freestanding emergency centers (FECs) to include outpatient care, diagnostic imaging and laboratory work and services contracted for employer outpatient care. The substitute includes consumer protections intended to limit facility fees, require cost estimates, prohibit balance billing for insured patients and provide dispute processes.
"Statistics show that just a 1% increase in outpatient…
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