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The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) released its updated 2025 Credentialing and Privileging Toolkit, designed to help ambulatory healthcare organizations streamline and strengthen the process of verifying provider qualifications and ensuring clinical competence, according to a release. The updated toolkit delivers practical tools and insights to support compliance with AAAHC standards, accreditation requirements and regulatory expectations, ultimately helping organizations protect patients, promote peer accountability and foster a culture of continuous quality improvement.
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ASC Focus (09/15/25)
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Improve your ASC’s financial performance with ASCA’s Financial Strategies for ASCs virtual course. The first half of this new course, Part I: Finance 101, is now available on demand. The course provides key financial insights, covering topics like balance sheets, income statements, expense management, Medicare reimbursement and budgeting. The second half, Part II: Finance 201, will be available September 29. This course—along with ASCA’s entire suite of virtual education—is included in 2025 ASCA membership and also available for purchase by nonmembers. Don’t miss out—register now! |
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ASCA Content (09/16/25)
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Full OR schedule, but charts still missing signatures? Get 100% chart completion thanks to status indicators & the ability to simultaneously edit charts on any device. Book a demo and see how.
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The American Medical Association today announced the release of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) 2026 code set adding 288 new codes designating the latest advances in medical, surgical, and diagnostic services available to patients. The CPT code set is trusted as the backbone of health data interoperability in the U.S. and provides the means for the nation’s data-driven health care system to easily exchange medical service information.
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AMA News Release (09/11/25)
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Join the next Regulatory Series session to find out how ASCA is being proactive with legislation that will ensure the sustainability of the ASC community as well as the threats we must fight with our advocacy efforts. This session is available exclusively to ASCA members and registration is required. It is scheduled for next Tuesday, September 23, at 1:00 pm ET, and will be available on demand afterward. Continuing education is not provided. |
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ASCA Content (09/16/25)
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Procision's AI Voice for Pre-Op CallsPre-operative calls are essential for patient safety and surgical readiness — but they place a heavy burden on clinical staff. Procision’s new AI Voice Assistant offers a smarter, scalable way to handle these calls while maintaining a personal, voice-first experience for patients.Click here for full article and more details.
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Despite recent declines, opioids remain commonly prescribed to about 1 in 5 U.S. adults who live with chronic pain as effective alternatives are limited. As part of its broader strategy to address the opioid crisis, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued draft guidance titled “Development of Non-Opioid Analgesics for Chronic Pain” to accelerate safe and effective non-opioid treatments and to reduce prescription-related opioid misuse.
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FDA News Release (09/10/25)
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Reports from ASCA’s 2025 Salary & Benefits Survey are now available for purchase. This survey allows ASCs to compare their compensation packages to similar ASCs, negotiate a raise, or determine salary and benefits for a new position. ASCs can benchmark their information with other ASCs from the same region, with a similar number of employees, of the same specialty, with a similar number of patient encounters and more. ASCA members save $100 on survey reports. Participants who completed at least 40 percent of the survey can access their reports for free! Purchase or access your report today. |
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ASCA Content (09/16/25)
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Expertise for every phase of the journey
Your ASC should reflect your vision—innovative, efficient and built for success. We provide deep expertise during every phase – planning, execution and beyond – to help ensure there aren’t any missteps during the journey. Request a copy of Stryker’s ASC New Build Playbook today.
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Same-day bilateral cataract surgery led to vision outcomes that were at least as good as those with delayed sequential procedures, with limited impact on most patients' daily activities, according to two separate studies. A retrospective analysis of 10,192 British patients showed that 85% achieved 20/20 vision following placement of multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) during immediate bilateral procedures, compared with 77% of patients who received the same type of IOLs during delayed sequential procedures.
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MedPage Today (09/12/25) Charles Bankhead
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Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it would start a five-year prior authorization demonstration for certain services provided in ASCs beginning December 15, 2025. The demonstration project impacts 10 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. Read this Digital Debut to learn more. |
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ASCA Content (09/16/25)
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In a new study, artificial intelligence matched and potentially exceeded the performance of gastroenterologists and conventional scoring in evaluating endoscopies of Crohn's disease patients. The results, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, show a computer vision model that identified mucosal ulceration as accurately as physician reviewing videos, while also being strongly correlated with the most common endoscopic scoring system.
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Medical Xpress (08/27/25) Gaby Clark; Andrew Zinin
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Anesthesia staffing remains one of the most pressing challenges in outpatient care—affecting patient and surgeon scheduling and, consequently, their satisfaction. Be part of the conversation that could change how anesthesia is delivered in ASCs. Join this exclusive focus group, hosted by SedAssure, for real peer insight and the opportunity to influence a national conversation that may help shape policy, innovation and vendor development on anesthesia staffing for years to come. This virtual focus group is sponsored by SedAssure. |
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ASCA Content (09/16/25)
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Passage of the No Surprises Act in 2020 reflected a consensus among stakeholders that consumers should be protected from certain surprise medical bills. The law targeted scenarios where consumers received emergency services in an in-network or out-of-network (OON) facility, and some services, such as radiology or anesthesiology, from OON providers at in-network facilities.
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Health Affairs (08/25/25) Jack Hoadley; Kennah Watts
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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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