Study Says CON Laws Lead to Improved Patient Outcomes

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Newswise -- Certificate of need (CON) laws lead to improved patient outcomes for some procedures, according to a study by Vivian Ho, PhD, associate professor of public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Details of the study are published in the March 2004 issue of the American Heart Journal.

CON laws aim to control healthcare costs by restricting the duplication of medical facilities and services in a market area. The study compared the outcomes of patients undergoing angioplasty in Florida, where CON laws exist, with the outcomes of angioplasty patients in California, where there are no such laws.

"Patients in Florida fared moderately better, supporting an association between higher procedure volumes and better patient outcomes," Ho reports.

Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham