Certificate of Need for Transport

Arizona instituted Certificate of Need (CON) legislation in 1983 and has failed to reevaluate since then. This is unique as many states have no CON regulations for any service, and others have transport regulations in addition to all institutions that offer patient care, including hospitals and private transport companies. In Arizona, the only type of healthcare facility that is required to have a CON is ground ambulatory services, including both public and private services. Providers throughout the state and particularly in rural environments have documented inconsistent and increasing ambulance response times for years, and, although data is hard to document, these extended response times might lead to inequitable health outcomes. By changing regulations around ground transport, we may be able to flatten this disparity, thus improving health outcomes for patients throughout the state.