Florida Liposuction Safety bill passes!

As part of Florida House Bill 1263, the new liposuction requirements have passed.  This means that any physician (MD or DO) who performs liposuction of more than 1 litre of fat, or any sedation case lasting more than 5 minutes must do so in an accredited surgical facility.  Lipo in the back room of a spa, unaccredited medical office, hotel or some other location….is now officially a no-no.
This is a legislative victory, as it should improve safety for cosmetic surgery patients in Florida.  As we’ve said before, liposuction surgery is real surgery… and it needs the same quality patient care and attention that all surgical procedures should have.  It should be performed in an accredited, inspected surgical facility, by appropriately trained surgeons and their staff, with standard safety monitoring devices and access to emergency resuscitation equipment.  The phrase “it’s just a little bit of lipo” or “it’s just cosmetic” doesn’t mean one can skimp on safety.
Here’s the official text:
458.309
(3) A physician /All physicians who performs liposuction procedures in which more than 1,000 cubic centimeters of supernatant fat is removed, perform level 2 procedures lasting more than 5 minutes, and all level 3 surgical procedures in an office setting must register the office with the department  unless that office is licensed as a facility under pursuant to chapter 395. The department shall inspect the physician’s office annually unless the office is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or an accrediting organization subsequently approved by the Board of Medicine.
459.005 same language, but for Doctors of Osteopathy.