Lawmakers agree: Surgical centers in need of more inspections

Cathleen Allison / Nevada Appeal

Assemblywoman Kathy McClain, D-Las Vegas, speaks at a hearing Thursday at which a committee voted against the governor’s plan to merge the tourism and economic development commissions.

By David McGrath Schwartz (contact), Cy Ryan (contact)

Friday, May 1, 2009 | 2 a.m.

A joint Assembly and Senate subcommittee agreed Thursday to increase the frequency of inspections at ambulatory surgical centers, the facilities tied to last year’s hepatitis C outbreak.

The reuse of syringes and single-use medicine vials at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada likely led to more than 100 people contracting the disease, according to the Southern Nevada Health District. More than 40,000 people had to be tested for infectious diseases.

The state Licensure and Certification Bureau, which inspects medical facilities, issued a memo in 2001 promising to complete inspections of surgical centers every three years. Yet the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada was not inspected for almost seven years.

Gov. Jim Gibbons’ proposed budget adds 14 positions to the agency. Staff testified Thursday that the additional positions would allow them to inspect surgical centers every 18 months.

The additional positions are being paid for from reserves created by fees that were raised on surgical centers in 2007.

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, expressed concern about what inspectors are seeing at surgical centers.

“It’s disturbing to me that after the endoscopy tragedy, when you’re going in, you’re still finding problems,” she said.

Richard Whitley, administrator of the Nevada State Health Division, said, “When you’re going to look, you’re going to find. It’s a good thing.”

Two bills, Assembly Bill 123 and Senate Bill 70, would require the agency to inspect medical facilities every 12 months. Doctors’ offices where outpatient procedures are performed would also be inspected.

Higher fees would pay for the additional inspectors needed.

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A legislative budget subcommittee restored more than $3 million in funding to market Nevada during the next two years.

Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, said it is counterproductive to cut heavily the Tourism Commission’s advertising program during a recession.

The commission has a $9.1 million advertising budget this fiscal year. Gibbons proposed reducing that to $4.5 million next fiscal year and $5.1 million in fiscal 2011.

The Senate subcommittee voted to set it at $6.1 million next fiscal year and $6.7 million the following year. The panel also rejected the governor’s recommendation to combine the tourism and economic development divisions.

To free up some money for tourism promotion, the subcommittee agreed with Horsford’s recommendation to cut by half funding for the state tourism office in China. Horsford said Nevada should concentrate on the regional and national markets while maintaining a presence in China.

Steve Woodbury, interim director of tourism, said the Chinese government last fall allowed leisure travel outside the country, creating huge potential for Nevada.

The subcommittee agreed that if tax collections come in higher than predicted, the division could ask the Interim Finance Committee for money to boost the advertising budget further.

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Frank Streshley, the research specialist who compiles and releases the monthly winnings of Nevada casinos for the Gaming Control Board, is being promoted.

Streshley has been named chief of the board’s Tax and License Division.

In his current position, Streshley gathers gaming data and predicts how much the state will collect in taxes from the gaming industry. His latest predictions will be part of the Economic Forum’s forecast today of state tax revenue for the next two years.

Streshley replaces Steve Hixon, who had been chief of the division since 1997 and retired after 30 years with the board.