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The ASCA 2022 Conference & Expo is just two weeks away! Don’t miss out on this premier ASC conference taking place April 27–30 in the wonderful city of Dallas, TX. Attendees will receive top-quality ASC education, access to the largest expo hall in the industry and a return to in-person networking. Online registration closes this Friday, April 15. Prices will increase onsite— register today! |
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Data submission for the first quarter (Q1) of ASCA’s 2022 Clinical & Operational Benchmarking Survey is now open. This valuable online resource provides data you can use to improve clinical outcomes, staff indicators, billing performance and more at your facility. If you haven’t already, subscribe today so you can submit your data in April and get a full year of national comparison data. ASCA members save $150 on subscriptions to the 2022 survey. Purchase your subscription now. |
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Designated ASCA voting members are encouraged to vote for the members of the ASCA Board of Directors. The candidates selected to serve on the ASCA Board will also serve on the ASCA Foundation Board. Learn more about the candidates and cast your ballot by next Monday, April 18. |
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Make sure all the physicians in your ASC get a copy of the newest edition of ASCA’s “ ASC Physician Brief.” This issue provides education to help centers comply with new surprise billing requirements, discusses the copay penalty that affects ASC patients and explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physician workplace. These quarterly, one-page news briefs provide at-a-glance reporting that can help ASC physicians lead their facilities to future success. Please encourage all your ASC’s physicians to subscribe. |
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The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) has announced that providers who experienced one or more extenuating circumstances that prevented them from meeting the reporting deadline for Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments received during Reporting Period 1 will be able to Request to Report Late Due to Extenuating Circumstances. The request form for Reporting Period 1 will be available from Monday, April 11 through Friday, April 22, 2022. Period 1 funds were those received April 10 to June 30, 2020, and the deadline to report was November 30, 2021. |
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Visit the ASC Focus website to read the latest edition of the ASC Focus magazine. Highlights of this issue include “Complying with HIPAA,” “Handle Equipment and Supply Challenges Efficiently” and “Add Robotics to Your ASC.” |
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On April 5, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated surveyor guidance for implementation of the healthcare worker COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Please find the guidance that is specific to your state, as there are three separate versions due to litigation that established the timing for implementation of the mandate. As a reminder, CMS is currently allowed to proceed with the mandate in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and US territories.
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A national nursing workforce report is advocating for dramatic action to better support the nation's nurses amid the current staffing crisis during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The new survey informs healthcare leaders on addressing the nursing shortage and improving retention, as 92 percent of respondents indicate that the nurse labor shortage will intensify in the coming 18 months.
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Fierce Healthcare (04/05/22) Susan Kreimer
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The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met on April 7 and 8 to discuss a variety of policy issues, including recommendations to align fee-for-service payment rates across ambulatory settings, Medicare policy options for addressing social determinants of health, and harmonizing Medicare’s portfolio of alternative payment models. The commission also discussed Medicare drug prices and Part D plan policy.
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Association of American Medical Colleges (04/08/22)
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The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers focused on health care safety and quality, today released its Outpatient Surgical Care report, the first report in a new three-part series, Patient Experience During the Pandemic. The report echoes Leapfrog’s previous findings that patients report more favorable experiences at ambulatory surgery centers than hospital outpatient departments.
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The Leapfrog Group (04/07/22)
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is updating the April 2020 Safety Communication to provide new information supporting the transition to fully disposable duodenoscopes and those with disposable components as well as new information on completed postmarket surveillance studies (also known as 522 studies). Given the cleaning concerns and contamination data with fixed endcap duodenoscopes and the increasing availability of duodenoscope models that facilitate or eliminate the need for reprocessing, hospitals and endoscopy facilities should complete transition to innovative duodenoscope designs that include disposable components such as disposable endcaps, or to fully disposable duodenoscopes.
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FDA Safety Communication (04/05/22)
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As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to evaluate the risk of patient infections and contamination issues associated with reprocessed urological endoscopes, the FDA is aware that the current reprocessing instructions for certain urological endoscopes manufactured by Karl Storz are inadequate and are being changed updated by Karl Storz. The affected urological endoscopes include cystoscopes, ureteroscopes, cystourethroscopes and ureterorenoscopes, used for viewing and accessing the urinary tract.
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FDA Letters to Health Care Providers (04/04/2022)
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Fewer children will go to bed with a toothache each night when a new specialty dental ambulatory surgery center opens this fall at 9143 Philips Highway. Lakeside Dental Surgery Center will be an 8,000-square-foot, four-operating room surgery center able to provide dental surgeries to pediatric patients with special needs that often cause them to require anesthesia for the procedure.
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Florida Times-Union (03/24/22) Alexandria Mansfield
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About ASCAMission: The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) is the national membership association that represents ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and provides advocacy and resources to assist ASCs in delivering high-quality, cost-effective ambulatory surgery to all the patients they serve. About Us: At ASCA, we are eager to help you become better acquainted with our nation's ASCs and the people who own and operate them. We are also eager to help you develop policies on ASC-related issues. If you have questions, please contact us. We'll put you in touch with the experts and, if you like, arrange for you to visit an ASC in your area. Contact Us: Advertising inquiries should be addressed to Chris Schriever or Alex Yewdell at 202.337.1897 or at advertising@ascassociation.org. Follow ASCA on
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