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August 28, 2018
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Headlines
ASCA Highlights
Industry News
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Why did you start performing total joint replacements at the surgery center? |
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ASCA Highlights
This Friday, August 31, is the deadline to apply for the October Certified Ambulatory Infection Preventionist (CAIP)™ and Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC)™ exams. CAIP is the first credential designed specifically for infection preventionists in the ASC industry; the CASC credential is a distinction earned by those in the ASC industry with a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge and skills that the role of an ASC administrator requires.
Take the next step in your career—apply today for the CAIP exam or CASC exam.
For the entire month of August, ASCs around the country have promoted awareness of their work to local policymakers and the public by opening their doors to the public and hosting facility tours. Thank you to all of the facilities that participated in National ASC Month events. If your facility participated in National ASC Month, please let Danielle Kaster know.
Make sure your ASC is achieving compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) with ASCA's HIPAA Workbook for ASCs. This valuable resource provides comprehensive tools and information to help you design, evaluate and update your ASC's compliance program. The HIPAA Workbook for ASCs is free for ASCA members and available for purchase by nonmembers. Get your copy today.
If you want your ASC to provide a better experience for its patients and physicians, effective communication between staff members is key. ASC leaders need to carve out time to make sure that they understand how their team is performing and then work to fine-tune their productivity. Read this ASC Focus article to find out how you can enhance your team’s productivity.
Your input is needed in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2019 Proposed ASC Payment Rule. Of note, CMS is proposing to review all procedures that were added to the ASC-payable list within the three calendar years prior to the year in which they are engaging in rulemaking (2015–2017).
ASCA will once again submit comments raising industry-wide concerns, but it is important that CMS hear from individual centers as well. All comments are due September 24. Learn more.
Industry News
Urgent Action Necessary to Address Opioid Drug Shortage
Healio (08/25/2018) Patel, Jai
The frequency of drug shortages in the United States is rapidly increasing. Shortages of opioid drugs — such as injectable hydromorphone, morphine, fentanyl, and methadone — have placed a particularly heavy burden on EDs, ambulatory surgery centers, and hospitals.
Sawtooth Surgery Center in Twin Falls Files Lawsuit Against Management Companies
MagicValley.com (08/26/18) Wootton-Greener, Julie
Southern Idaho Ambulatory Surgery Center in Twin Falls filed a lawsuit Aug. 19 in U.S. District Court, seeking more than $75,000 in damages from management companies due to alleged "gross mismanagement." The center, also known as Sawtooth Surgery Center, is on Falls Avenue West and performs outpatient procedures. It filed a 34-page complaint for damages against Twin Falls NSC, a Tennessee limited liability company, and AMSURG Holdings, a Delaware corporation that's a subsidiary of Envision Healthcare.
Bayer, J&J's Blood-Thinning Drug Xarelto Fails 'Mariner' Trial
Bloomberg (08/27/18) Shaw, Lucas
Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson’s blood-thinning drug Xarelto didn’t prevent clotting in high-risk patients after they were released from the hospital, a setback for one of the manufacturers’ best-selling drugs. About 12,000 medically ill patients at increased risk of blood clotting took part in the trial, known as the Mariner study. Xarelto was approved in Europe in 2008 and the U.S. three years later to prevent blood clots in patients undergoing hip and knee surgery. It was later expanded to prevent strokes and clots in the legs and lungs.
Stamford-Based Surgical Group Offers New Joint Replacement Effort
Stamford Patch (08/21/18)
The Specialty Surgery Center of Connecticut (SSCC) has launched the first comprehensive outpatient total joint replacement program in lower Fairfield County, encompassing total hip, total knee and total shoulder replacement. The advanced, state-of-the-art surgical facility is fully licensed by the State of Connecticut, has achieved Medicare certification and is accredited by AAAHC (Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care).
U.S. Hospitals Shut at 30-a-Year Pace, With No End in Sight
Bloomberg (08/21/18) Flanagan, Cristin
Industry M&A may be no savior as the pace of hospital closures, particularly in hard-to-reach rural areas, seems poised to accelerate. Hospitals have been closing at a rate of about 30 a year, according to the American Hospital Association, and patients living far from major cities may be left with even fewer hospital choices as insurers push them toward online providers like Teladoc Inc. and clinics such as CVS Health Corp’s MinuteClinic. Morgan Stanley analysts led by Vikram Malhotra looked at data from roughly 6,000 U.S. private and public hospitals and concluded eight percent are at risk of closing; another 10 percent are considered "weak."
Cataract Surgery in Short and Long Eyes
Healio (08/20/2018) Johnston, Josh
Small eyes and big ones have special considerations. Cataract surgery in either very short or very long eyes presents specific, unique situations. Challenges in short eyes include performing IOL calculations and the possible limitations of available IOL powers. A thorough preoperative assessment helps the surgeon be prepared for what he or she will encounter in any given patient.
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