A bill that would result in closer regulation of cosmetic surgery centers in Maryland is a step closer to approval from the state legislature. It was unanimously passed by the House of Delegates and now just needs to clear the Senate, says the Baltimore Sun.

As written, the bill would require any office-based or other surgical facility in which cosmetic surgeries take place to be licensed as ASCs. The state Board of Physicians would also be able to discipline any licensee who performs a cosmetic surgical procedure without being credentialed or participating in the practitioner performance evaluation process of the office or facility in which the cosmetic surgical procedure is performed.

The bill is a response to an infection outbreak among patients of Monarch MedSpa in Timonium, Md., in which 1 died and several suffered group A Streptococcus infections in August and September.

Stephanie Wasek