ASCA News Digest (June 28, 2022)

Register today to attend ASCA’s virtual course Infection Prevention for ASCs, streaming live August 29–30.

Over the course of two half days, this program will cover a wide variety of topics and provide you with the resources you need to develop and maintain an infection prevention program. It will also help you prepare for the Certified Ambulatory Infection Preventionist (CAIP)^® exam.

Session recordings will be available to watch on demand after the live event.

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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 information on physician employment trends and the rise of Medicare Advantage enrollment. 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 of your ASC’s physicians to subscribe.

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ASCA is developing educational programs and content for next year—and we need your input. Please let us know what topics you would like to hear industry leaders discuss in 2023 in relation to staffing, infection prevention, regulatory issues, human resources and other issues affecting your facility.

We are seeking topic and speaker suggestions for all of ASCA’s programs, including:

• ASCA 2023 Conference & Expo
• 2023 Winter Seminar
• 2023 Webinar Series
• ASC Focus magazine articles

The deadline to submit your suggestions is this Thursday, June 30.

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Data submission for the second quarter (Q2) of ASCA’s 2022 Clinical & Operational Benchmarking Survey opens Friday. This valuable online resource provides data you can use to improve clinical outcomes, staff indicators, billing performance and more at your facility.

ASCA members save $150 on subscriptions to the 2022 survey. If you haven’t already, purchase your subscription today!

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Earlier in June, ASCA members in Kansas and New Jersey invited their members of Congress to visit their surgery centers. Read this Digital Debut to learn more about their visits and find out how you can get your facility involved.

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In June, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued two new memos for state surveyors related to vaccination requirements for surveyors and the frequency of surveys for compliance with the federal healthcare worker COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

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Ambulatory Surgery Centers See a Return on Investment into Quality Improvement

Organizations often question whether their investments into accreditation are worth it. While The Joint Commission has always felt they are, we never had the data to back this up – until now.

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Healthcare's 'Great Resignation' May Make Way for the 'Great Reflection'

The "Great Resignation" is real. Employees vow they're "not going to take it anymore" and employers scramble to retain them while simultaneously devising ways to attract new candidates.

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His-and-Hers Cataract Surgeries, But His Bill Was 20 Times as Much

Danilo Manimtim's vision was cloudy and blurred — and it was growing worse. The 73-year-old retired orthopedic surgeon in Fresno, California, knew it was time for cataract surgery.

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ACP Says Physician Payments Should Work Toward Health Equity

The current physician payment system does not adequately address the socioeconomic factors that impact patients’ health outcomes, says the American College of Physicians (ACP) in a new position paper published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Reforming Physician Payments to Achieve Greater Equity and Value in Health Care: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians. This paper makes a series of recommendations about how new payment models should be designed to better account for social drivers that impact patient health.

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Report to Congress: Drug Shortages for Calendar Year 2021

This annual report to Congress summarizes the major actions taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) during calendar year 2021 to prevent or mitigate drug shortages1 in the United States. Because drug shortages can pose a significant public health threat that can delay, and in some cases even deny, critically needed care for patients, drug shortages remain a top priority for FDA.

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A National Patient ID Is Essential for Patient Safety

Misidentifying patients can have tragic consequences. Numerous catastrophic cases and near misses have been collected by Patient ID Now, a coalition of health care organizations we are affiliated with that is dedicated to advancing a nationwide patient identification and matching strategy.

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News summaries © copyright 2022 Smithbucklin

About ASCA

Mission: 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.

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