ASCA News Digest

ASCA is excited to announce it will offer two classes for the 2023–2024 ASC Administrator Development Program: a hybrid class that kicks off in May at the ASCA 2023 Conference & Expo and runs through April 2024, and a virtual class running from October 2023–September 2024.

Applications are now being accepted for the hybrid class. This class consists of in-person content in the ASC Administrator Development Track at ASCA 2023 as well as virtual content.

The ASC Administrator Development Program is a yearlong mentoring program that matches newer and aspiring administrators with their experienced peers. Applications for the hybrid class are due February 28. Learn more and apply today!

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After more than three years, National Advocacy Day is back!

Taking place February 27–March 1, National Advocacy Day gathers members of the ASC community from across the country to advocate for their facilities and the high-quality care they deliver.

This is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with your members of Congress and their staff to educate them about the many benefits ASCs provide. Registration will close Tuesday, January 31—sign up today!

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The data submission period for the fourth quarter (Q4) of ASCA’s 2022 Clinical & Operational Benchmarking Survey closes next Tuesday, January 31. Subscribers should make sure to submit their data before the deadline in order to get a complete picture of trends for last year.

Is your ASC on track for success in the new year? Make 2023 your facility’s best year yet by subscribing to ASCA’s 2023 Clinical & Operational Benchmarking Survey.

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Surgery centers interested in providing procedures involving medical devices or surgical implants can get strategies for assessing and managing the profitability of these procedures in their facility in the newest episode of ASCA’s Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, “Effectively Managing Device and Implant Procedures in the Outpatient Setting.”

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When healthcare professionals consider their employment options, many factors likely influence the jobs they apply for and the jobs they remain at. One of the top influencers is typically salary, but increasingly not far below in significance when evaluating employment opportunities is benefits, including 401(k) plans. Read this Digital Debut to learn more about the ASCA Member Retirement Plan.

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Help ASCA advocate for the expansion of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) ASC Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL) by completing a brief survey. The ASC-CPL contains codes that CMS considers clinically appropriate for ASCs to provide to Medicare beneficiaries.

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Ransomware Attacks Persist in Healthcare as Impacts on Patient Safety Rise

Patient safety has become the driving force behind ongoing healthcare cybersecurity risk framing and as a risk metric for evaluating connected vendors. While reporting gaps limit precise calculations of those impacts, stakeholders are actively working to change that.

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MedPAC Asks Congress to Increase Physician Payments

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, or MedPAC, has recently voted to recommend that Congress increase 2024 Medicare payments for physicians and other health services. Specifically, MedPAC recommended linking payments to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), updating them to 50% of the MEI, according to the American Hospital Association.

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FDA Issues Guidance to Help Increase Supply of Ibuprofen Oral Suspension Products in Hospitals and Health Systems

FDA is issuing an immediately-in-effect guidance on compounding certain ibuprofen products in an effort to improve the supply of ibuprofen oral suspension products amid record high demand. The guidance describes FDA’s regulatory and enforcement priorities regarding the compounding of certain ibuprofen oral suspension products in outsourcing facilities for use in hospitals and health systems.

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How This Law Reshaped Medical Billing, and What Challenges Remain for Patients

One year ago, the United States marked a turning point for health care cost transparency with a new law aimed at helping Americans avoid unnecessary, unexpected medical debt. As of Jan. 1, 2022, health care providers and insurers are no longer allowed to sideswipe privately insured people with bills for out-of-network services.

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Why Some Surgeons Are Prescribing Opioids to Patients' Spouses

Strict safety protocols for prescribing opioids may have an unintended consequence: Some surgeons seem to be prescribing opioid painkillers to the spouses of patients undergoing surgery, according to a recent study led by researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Hospital for Special Surgery published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Patients undergoing surgery are often incapacitated in the hours and days following the procedure.

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Prevalence of Colorectal Neoplasia 10 or More Years After a Negative Screening Colonoscopy in 120,000 Repeated Screening Colonoscopies

In this registry-based cross-sectional study, prevalences of advanced neoplasms were 40 percent to 50 percent lower among 120,098 participants who underwent repeated screening colonoscopy 10 or more years after a negative colonoscopy than among all screening colonoscopies (1.25 million). The prevalence of advanced neoplasms was at least 40 percent lower in women vs men, and particularly low for repeated colonoscopies conducted for those younger than 75 years.

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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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