The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities accredited more than 300 office-based surgery facilities in New York over the past year.

New York's office-based facilities must comply with a new state law requiring that they obtain and maintain accreditation. The Patient Protection Bill went into effect last month; as of July 14, 2009, doctors who perform office-based surgery in the Empire State without accreditation face several penalties, including the potential loss of their licenses.

"This was a bold and necessary step for New York State, and we at AAAASF are pleased that they initiated this law and allowed our participation in making it a reality," says AAAASF President Lawrence S. Reed, a New York-based plastic surgeon, in a statement announcing the spike in accreditations over the past year. "We believe that this law will go a long way to creating even greater safety in the office-based facility."

—Irene Tsikitas