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August 8, 2017
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Headlines
ASCA Highlights
Industry News
ASCA Highlights
On Tuesday, August 15, at 1:00 pm ET, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice will lead a free webinar on the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) Survey. OAS CAHPS: Next Steps is designed to help ASCs determine how to proceed with the survey now that Medicare’s proposed 2018 ASC payment rule delays mandatory implementation. This webinar is free for ASCA members and nonmembers. Register.
This week, ASCs around the country are participating in National ASC Week by opening their doors to the public and hosting facility tours. This is great way to promote awareness of the high-quality, cost-efficient surgical care that ASCs provide. If your ASC is participating in any National ASC Week events, please let Danielle Kaster know.
Find out how to protect your ASC and keep your staff, your patients and yourself free from harm at ASCA’s webinar Risk Management: Beyond Adverse Incident Reporting, scheduled for Tuesday, August 22, at 1:00 pm ET. Ambulatory Strategies Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sandra Jones, MBA, will discuss how to develop a risk assessment program, prioritize activities and integrate with Quality Assessment/Performance Improvement, infection control, billing, regulatory compliance and accreditation. The cost to sign up is $100 for ASCA members and $150 for nonmembers. Register.
Word of mouth is a proven way to refer membership to your peers. ASCA will award a $25 gift card to every member who recruits a new ASC to join the association before September 29. Any individual working in an ASC that is a member of ASCA is eligible to participate. Learn more.
ASCA’s Career Center connects employers and job-seekers in the ASC community. This online platform is an effective way for employers to recruit high-quality candidates and for job-seekers to get noticed by the right people. Get started.
Staffing optimally to achieve the greatest productivity while keeping your staff happy can be challenging. To hear administrators at three different ASCs share their secrets to success, visit the ASC Focus website.
The deadline to submit 2016 data for the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program is Tuesday, August 15. This applies to measures ASC-6, ASC-7, ASC-9 and ASC-10. Learn more.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final 2018 Inpatient Prospective Payment System Rule earlier this week. The rule addressed two issues on which ASCA submitted formal comments: Publication of Accrediting Organization (AO) Surveys and Electronic Health Record (EHR) Technology Exception for ASC-Based Physicians. Read more.
Industry News
Researchers Reveal Prevalence of Unused Prescription Opioids Following Surgery
News-Medical.net (08/02/2017)
In a review of half a dozen published studies in which patients self-reported use of opioids prescribed to them after surgery, researchers at Johns Hopkins report that a substantial majority of patients used only some or none of the pills, and more than 90 percent failed to dispose of the leftovers in recommended ways. A summary of the review, published August 2 in JAMA Surgery, highlights the need for more personalized pain management to avoid overprescribing opioids and reduce risks linked to improperly stored opioids in the home.
Independent Physician Practices Spend More Than Twice as Much on Health IT Than Their Hospital-Owned Counterparts
Fierce Healthcare (08/04/2017) Sweeney, Evan
Health IT costs are steadily increasing for physician practices across the country, but privately owned practices are absorbing a much larger portion of those costs. Physician-owned practices spent between $2,000 and $4,000 more per full-time physician last year than they did in 2015, according to a survey published last month by Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).
National CompHealth Study Reveals Older Physicians Hesitant to Retire
Globe Newswire (08/01/17)
A new study from CompHealth, a national leader in healthcare staffing, reveals that late-career physicians are hesitant to retire because they will miss the work they do and the social dynamic that comes with their work environment. They are also less interested in retiring because they are confident they can still contribute to the medical field.
Physician Satisfaction Is Widespread, But Raises and Student Loan Help Are Hard to Come By, Survey Says
Healthcare Finance News (08/04/17) Sanborn, Beth Jones
Physicians are experiencing widespread job satisfaction, but not as many raises as they might like. That's according to data from physician staffing and job match firm PracticeMatch
Engineers Harness the Power of 3-D Printing to Help Train Surgeons, Shorten Surgery Times
ScienceDaily (08/02/17)
A team of engineers and pediatric orthopedic surgeons are using 3D printing to help train surgeons and shorten surgeries for the most common hip disorder found in children ages 9 to 16. In a recent study, researchers showed that allowing surgeons to prep on a 3D-printed model of the patient's hip joint cut by about 25 percent the amount of time needed for surgery when compared to a control group.
Attorney General Sessions Announces Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit
U.S. Department of Justice (08/02/17)
Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced the formation of the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit, a new Department of Justice pilot program to utilize data to help combat the devastating opioid crisis that is ravaging families and communities across America. Speaking at the Columbus Police Academy today, Attorney General Sessions said that the new Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit will focus specifically on opioid-related health care fraud using data to identify and prosecute individuals that are contributing to this prescription opioid epidemic.
CHRISTUS Health Partnering With Imperial Calcasieu Surgical Center
KPLCTV (08/02/17) Whittington, Maranda
While the lobby looked empty Wednesday afternoon at Imperial Calcasieu Surgical Center, orthopedic surgeon and chairman of the center Dr. John Noble usually sees his fair share of patients. "We do over 10,000 procedures a year,” said Noble.
Central Jersey Ambulatory Surgical Center Partners With Physicians Endoscopy
PR Newswire (07/27/17)
Physicians Endoscopy (PE) along with the physicians of Digestive Healthcare Center are pleased to announce the organizations have finalized a strategic partnership as of June 5, 2017. PE, the leader in the development and management of GI ambulatory surgery centers, is proud Central Jersey Ambulatory Surgical Center (CJASC) has become its 58th partnered center across the U.S. and seventh in the State of New Jersey.
Medical Mentoring: Carolina Orthopaedics Hosts Program for High School Students
South Strand News (SC) (07/27/17) Stairs, Clayton
Kayla Jernigan, a rising senior at Waccamaw High School, said although she is interested in obstetrics and gynecology, she learned a lot from observing physical therapy and a shoulder scope surgery this summer. "It is not something I'm specifically looking to go into, but I find it very interesting," she said.
The Evolving Story of Overlapping Surgery
Journal of the American Medical Association (07/18/17) Vol. 318, No. 3, P. 233 Mello, Michelle M.; Livingston, Edward H.
In December 2015, a Boston Globe investigation of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) sparked investigations into concurrent and overlapping surgery. Overlapping surgery refers to operations performed by the same primary surgeon such that the start of one surgery overlaps with the end of another.
Dr. Jerome Adams Confirmed as Surgeon General
CNN (08/04/17) Scutti, Susan
Dr. Jerome Adams was confirmed as the U.S. surgeon general this week, pledging to take on the country's opioid epidemic. Adams, who was nominated for the role by President Donald Trump, is the 20th surgeon general to hold the position.
Senate Passes Key FDA Funding Bill
The Hill (08/03/17) Weixel, Nathaniel
Senators voted overwhelmingly Thursday to pass a key Food and Drug Administration (FDA) funding bill, sending it to President Trump's desk. The Senate passed a five-year reauthorization of the FDA's user fees in a 94-1 vote, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) voting against the measure.
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