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ASCA members and affiliates can learn about the upside and downside of the payment policy changes Medicare is proposing for ASCs next year in the newest episode of ASCA’s Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, “Medicare’s 2023 Proposed ASC Payment Rule.” |
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Data submission for the second quarter (Q2) of ASCA’s 2022 Clinical & Operational Benchmarking Survey closes this Sunday, July 31. 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 and gain comparison data for the last three quarters of the year. ASCA members save $150 on subscriptions to the 2022 survey. Purchase your subscription today! |
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Candidates who plan to take the September Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC) ® exam must submit their application by this Sunday, July 31. Applicants can prepare with ASCA’s virtual course for ASC administrators, Management Essentials for ASC Administrators. Participants will learn what ASC leaders need to know about compliance, finance, quality management and human resources—and how to keep up with the latest information about these critical operational areas. |
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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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In June, ASCA conducted its eighth 60-Second Survey and asked questions about staff hourly rates, use of contracted personnel and staff turnover in the last year. The survey received 314 responses, one of the highest participation rates since the series began. Read this Digital Debut to learn more about the survey results. |
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2023 proposed payment rule for ASCs and hospital outpatient departments (HOPD) on July 15. If the proposed rule is finalized as drafted, ASCs would see, on average over all covered procedures, an effective update of 2.7 percent—a combination of a 3.1 percent inflation update based on the hospital market basket and a productivity reduction mandated by the Affordable Care Act of 0.4 percentage points.
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“Fifty percent of something is better than 100 percent of nothing.” This quote has been attributed to several individuals, including television host and producer Chuck Barris and personal finance guru Suze Orman. Regardless of its origin, it is a useful reminder that a compromise position is often better than an absolute one.
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KaufmanHall (07/21/22)
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“Should we offer our employed surgeons an ownership position in the freestanding ASC joint venture we are developing?” Health system executives have asked us this question for decades. The answer isn't always obvious.
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Becker's Hospital Review (07/21/22) John Fink
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Patient-related factors are increasingly preventing adherence to screening for colorectal cancer, and clinicians should develop organized programs to address some of these barriers, according to a presentation at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Society of Preventive Oncology. In a systematic review of studies of CRC screening adherence, Samir Gupta, MD, MDCS, AGAF, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and his co-investigators found that out of 100 factors predictive of screening adherence, 71 percent were patient-related.
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Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News (07/22) Landon Gray
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AcuFocus announced Monday that the US FDA approved its IC-8 Apthera intraocular lens (IOL) for cataract treatment. As the first—and currently only—non-toric extended depth of focus IOL, the lens features a proprietary small aperture technology that filters out peripheral defocused light and allows only focused light to reach the retina, according to a company news release.
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Optometry Times (07/25/22) Alex Delaney-Gesing
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The Office of Inspector General has conducted dozens of investigations of fraud schemes involving companies that purported to provide telehealth, telemedicine, or telemarketing services (collectively, Telemedicine Companies) and exploited the growing acceptance and use of telehealth. For example, in some of these fraud schemes Telemedicine Companies intentionally paid physicians and nonphysician practitioners kickbacks to generate orders or prescriptions for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, genetic testing, wound care items, or prescription medications, resulting in submissions of fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal health care programs.
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HHS Office of Inspector General (07/20/22)
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Surgery shortly after COVID-19 infection is associated with higher rates of complications, leading to recommendations to delay surgery following COVID-19 infection when possible. However, prior studies were based on populations with low or no prevalence of vaccination.
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Annals of Surgery (07/22) Sidney T. Le; Patricia Kipnis; Bradley Cohn; et al.
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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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