Advancing Surgical Care Podcast

Recent Episodes

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

Medicare’s 2025 Final Payment Rule

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with ASCA Chief Advocacy Officer Kara Newbury about the 2025 final ASC payment rule that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released November 1. Bill and Kara discuss the results of the annual rulemaking process on the ASC Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL), the inflationary adjustment and reimbursements for specific surgical procedures, and ASC quality reporting requirements for the coming year. They also consider ways the recent presidential and congressional elections and the impending change in the administration could impact surgery centers.

Listen Now 19 min 1 sec

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

Adding Cardiovascular Procedures to the ASC Covered Procedures List

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Advocacy Officer Kara Newbury leads a discussion with Dr. David Kenigsberg, a Florida-based clinical cardiac electrophysiologist and a member of ASCA’s Cardiovascular Working Group. This short but insightful program focuses on the kinds of cardiovascular procedures that are being safely performed in the outpatient setting today as well as ASCA’s efforts to persuade the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to add additional cardiovascular procedures to its ASC Covered Procedures List.

Listen Now 15 min 14 sec

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

OAS CAHPS Keys to Success

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Immediate Past President Mandy Hawkins, RN, CASC, CAIP, leads a discussion with Press Ganey Emerging Markets President Bob McSweeney and Director of Health Policy Eme Augustine about the challenges and opportunities confronting ASCs administering the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) Survey. With the mandatory January 2025 start date for this postoperative patient survey looming and the threat of a reduction in Medicare reimbursement facing ASCs that fail to comply, this highly informative podcast offers both practical advice and strong words of encouragement for ASCs to start administering the OAS CAHPS Survey today.

Listen Now 14 min 42 sec

JULY 16, 2024

Advocating for ASCs

MEMBERS ONLY

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with Todd Currier, ASCA Board treasurer and administrator of Bend Surgery Center in Bend, Oregon, about the importance of having ASC owners and physicians involved in ASCA’s federal ASC advocacy efforts. They also discuss ways every ASC could benefit from Currier’s model for owner engagement and participation. Today, 90 percent of the physicians practicing at Bend Surgery Center contribute to ASCAPAC, the only political action committee devoted exclusively to advancing the issues that matter most to ASCs of every specialty throughout the US.

JUNE 17, 2024

Unleash the Power of Data to Transform Your ASC

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with Will Evans, senior director of data science & insights at HST Pathways, following Evans’s presentation at ASCA 2024 in Orlando, Florida, earlier this year. Evans explains how even small, standalone surgery centers can capture and analyze data to improve their financial performance and patient outcomes. He also offers practical advice for sharing performance data with ASC personnel in nonthreatening and constructive ways.

Listen Now 13 min 12 sec

JUNE 3, 2024

The ABCs of an Effective, Compliant ASC Infection Prevention Plan

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with Debbie Mack, RN, CAIP, a leading infection prevention (IP) educator and consultant, following an IP session Mack presented at the ASCA 2024 Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida.

Beginning with the ongoing training a surgery center’s infection preventionist should seek each year and the need to document that training, Mack and Prentice talk through a list of key elements a comprehensive IP program should include. They also discuss ways to make compliance easier and the workplace culture needed to support a holistic program. Their conversation ends with a discussion about the Certified Ambulatory Infection Preventionist (CAIP) credential, the credibility the credential confers on credential holders and the valuable ASC-specific IP study materials available on the CAIP website.

Listen Now 11 min 37 sec

MAY 20, 2024

HR Strategies for Surgery Center Administrators

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with attorney Sal Puccio during the ASCA 2024 Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida, to discuss a range of human resources issues facing ASCs today. Puccio is widely regarded as an expert on ASC employment practices and his presentations at ASCA events are well-regarded by ASCA members. He is a partner at the law firm Garfunkel Wild and a member of the firm’s employment law, litigation and healthcare groups, among others. His practice focuses primarily on advising and counseling healthcare providers on their day-to-day business operations, with extensive experience in counseling clients concerning the employer-employee relationship, as well as complex commercial litigation matters.

Listen Now 13 min 26 sec

APRIL 30, 2024

Cybersecurity for Surgery Centers

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with Dr. Paul Alcock, chief information security officer for Surgical Information Systems, where he leads the company’s enterprise cybersecurity program, including threat and incident management, security policy and governance. Their conversation took place at ASCA’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida, following Dr. Alcock’s presentation on cybersecurity in ASCs. With the advent of serious online threats to health care providers and their patients, Dr. Alcock’s timely counsel and advice should not be missed.

Listen Now 12 min 14 sec

APRIL 11, 2024

A Discussion with ASCA CEO Bill Prentice and Dr. Abbey Vandersall, Vice President for Quality and Clinical Services at AMSURG

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, hear Dr. Abbey Vandersall, vice president for Quality and Clinical Services for ASC management company AMSURG, talk with ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice about the life-saving importance of colonoscopy screenings for the early detection of colorectal cancer. Their discussion also focuses on compliance with the new recommendation for testing to begin at age 45 and the critical role surgery centers have played in expanding access to colonoscopies, as well as lowering their cost for both patients and payers alike.

Listen Now 15 min 54 sec

MARCH 4, 2024

Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery in ASCs

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, listen to oral surgeon Dayne Jensen, MD, explain why he believes an ASC offers the safest, most convenient setting for his patients. Then, find out how he turned his vision into reality—even for Medicaid patients in his community. In conversation with ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice, Dr. Jensen talks about ways to facilitate patient referrals, the unexpected benefits his surgery center offers his community and his experience treating Medicaid beneficiaries.

Listen Now 10 min 58 sec

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

Medicare’s Final Payment Rule: Solid Progress for ASCs in 2024

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with ASCA Regulatory Counsel and Director of Government Affairs Kara Newbury about the 2024 outpatient payment and quality reporting rule the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released on November 2, 2023. A highlight of the conversation is their discussion of ASCA’s successful efforts to add several dozen new codes to the ASC Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL). These include total shoulder arthroplasty, a procedure ASCA has long encouraged Medicare to allow its beneficiaries to access in orthopedic surgery centers. Prentice and Newbury also discuss a payment update that rises above the amount projected in the proposed rule, prospective changes to the ASC Quality Reporting Program and more.

Listen Now 14 min 32 sec

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

Get Ready to Vote on Updates to ASCA’s Bylaws

MEMBERS ONLY

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks about several proposed amendments to ASCA’s bylaws that voting representatives from ASCA facility members will be asked to vote on between November 17 and December 13, 2023. In total, there are nine amendments covering five subject areas that ASCA members will be asked to approve in a single ballot question. The amendments clarify the definition of a voting member of ASCA, align nominations and elections to the ASCA Board of Directors with best practices of modern trade associations and simplify the process for future amendments to ASCA’s bylaws. The proposed amendments have already been unanimously approved by the ASCA Board of Directors. Voting representatives from ASCA facility members are now asked to familiarize themselves with the proposals and vote to affirm the changes by December 13, 2023.

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Preparing for OAS CAHPS

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice and ASCA Director of Education & Clinical Affairs Gina Throneberry discuss the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) Survey, a postoperative patient survey developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Beginning in January 2025, OAS CAHPS will become a mandatory part of Medicare’s Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program, and ASCs will be required to use a CMS-approved, third-party vendor to administer the survey to their patients. In this short, but highly informative program, Prentice and Throneberry discuss the origins of the OAS CAHPS Survey, its content, threshold requirements and the importance of hiring a vendor and implementing the survey well in advance of January 2025.

Listen Now 11 min 31 sec

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Constructing and Opening an ASC

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with Deb Yoder, RN, CASC, vice president of clinical operations for Surgical Management Professionals, about the critical steps and considerations involved in constructing and opening a new ASC. Yoder is an accomplished nurse with frontline experience in operating rooms, cardiac catheterization labs, intensive care and surgery centers. In her current position, she is responsible for overseeing the design and construction of new ASCs and has assisted in developing and equipping 13 new facilities. This highly informative discussion covers architectural and regulatory pre- and post-planning, construction management and how to prepare a new facility for a successful opening.

Listen Now 15 min 25 sec

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

On November 2, after repeated requests from ASCA and its members to allow total shoulder surgeries for Medicare beneficiaries inside ASCs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2024 final payment rule for ASCs. The rule added total shoulder surgeries to Medicare’s ASC Covered Procedures List and gave Medicare beneficiaries access to this surgery inside ASCs for the first time. ASCA commends CMS for this decision.

Medicare Patients Deserve a Choice: The Case for Safe, Effective, Cost-Saving Shoulder Surgery in ASCs

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with orthopedic surgeon and ASCA Board member David Weinstein, MD, about performing outpatient total shoulder surgeries in both hospitals and ASCs.

Tens of thousands of patients with commercial insurance undergo safe, effective total shoulder surgeries in ASCs each year, saving themselves and their insurers millions of dollars. Yet the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has refused to extend its insurance coverage to ASCs—the less costly site of care and the one that most patients prefer. Dr. Weinstein discusses several clinical studies that include findings that support making this change, as well as his own experience performing thousands of shoulder surgeries, in this compelling case for finally allowing Medicare patients the same choice that private pay patients enjoy today.

Dr. Weinstein is a graduate of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he completed his residency in orthopedic surgery, as well as an associate clinical professor at the University of Colorado Department of Orthopedics in Denver.

Listen Now 13 min 45 sec

AUGUST 16, 2023

Creating a Culture of Inclusion in ASCs

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice speaks with SCA Health Vice President for Talent Management Vicki Heinz about the importance of creating a culture of inclusion among ASC staff. In a conversation recorded live following Heinz’s presentation on that same topic at ASCA 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky, this past spring, Prentice and Heinz discuss how a culture of inclusion has become a vital part of an organization’s ability to recruit and retain a talented workforce, particularly among younger workers. In explaining why employers should measure their progress and be prepared to overcome resistance to change, Heinz also describes how the right inclusion practices can improve an organization’s performance and add to its bottom line.

Listen Now 11 min 52 sec

JULY 24, 2023

Medicare’s 2024 Proposed ASC Payment Rule

MEMBERS ONLY

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice and ASCA Regulatory Counsel and Director of Government Affairs Kara Newbury discuss the 2024 proposed ASC payment rule released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 13, 2023. Prentice and Newbury provide a topline summary of the 963-page proposal that looks at the proposed inflationary update factor for ASCs, changes to the ASC Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL), changes to the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program and more. Comments on the proposed rule are due by September 11, 2023.

JULY 13, 2023

Everything You Need to Know about CASC and CAIP Certification

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, Mandy Hawkins, CASC, CAIP, president of the ASCA Board, talks with Debra Stinchcomb, CASC, president of the Board of Ambulatory Surgery Certification (BASC), regarding the Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC) credential and the Certified Ambulatory Infection Preventionist (CAIP) credential for ASC administrators and senior staff. In this timely and important presentation, Mandy and Debra discuss upcoming enrollment periods for both certifications, the course curriculums, fees, renewals and how both certifications can benefit ASC personnel interested in advancing their careers in the ASC community.

Listen Now 18 min 07 sec

JUNE 20, 2023

A Look at ASC Marketplace Trends with nimble solutions CEO Samii

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with nimble solutions Chief Executive Officer Nader Samii during a break at ASCA’s annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky, this past May. Prentice invited Samii, whose company was the platinum sponsor of this year’s event, to join him in a discussion about the current market conditions he is seeing across the ASC community, as well as the increasing investment occurring in emerging technologies such as robotics. Prentice and Samii also talk about the rebranding of National Medical Billing Services to nimble solutions and the services the new company can provide to ASCs.

Listen Now 12 min 08 sec

MAY 25, 2023

Fostering a Bigger, More Inclusive Healthcare Workforce

With the demand for outpatient surgery on the rise, forecasters are concerned about the future supply of physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals. In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Board President Mandy Hawkins talks with David Acosta, MD, the chief diversity and inclusion officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Their wide-ranging conversation looks at the need for a larger, more representative healthcare workforce that can meet the demands of our nation’s aging and increasingly diverse population. It also addresses the makeup of current medical school admissions, the need to raise awareness about medical careers in primary and secondary schools, new initiatives that target disadvantaged communities and the need for additional government support for medical education and training.

Listen Now 28 min 58 sec

APRIL 13, 2023

The Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act of 2023

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Regulatory Counsel and Director of Government Affairs Kara Newbury leads a discussion about the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act of 2023 (H.R. 972/S.312) with her colleagues David Opong-Wadee, ASCA manager of legislative and political affairs, and Maia Kunkel, ASCA manager of government affairs. The episode provides a summary of the key provisions of the legislation and the ways it would benefit both patients and ASCs. It also looks at the Washington, DC, fly-in and lobbying event conducted February 28 and March 1 this year as part of ASCA’s 2023 National Advocacy Day. Seventy ASCA members from 31 states met with members of Congress and their staff to discuss ASCA’s legislative goals and the many ways ASCs serve their constituents and communities.

Listen Now 14 min 03 sec

MARCH 16, 2023

The Migration of Surgical Procedures from Inpatient to Outpatient

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice sits down with surgery center payment policy expert Naya Kehayes for an informative discussion about the migration of surgical codes from the inpatient-only list to the list of procedures Medicare will reimburse in hospital outpatient departments (HOPD) and onto the ASC Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL). They discuss a wide range of topics, including recent migration trends, future code migration (including orthopedic and cardiovascular procedures) and ASCA’s continuing efforts to make the approval process at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services more transparent. Naya is a partner and the ASC Practice Leader for ECG Management Consultants and has more than 30 years of professional experience in healthcare. She is a trusted adviser to ASCA on a wide range of issues, particularly in matters before the federal agencies that oversee surgery centers, and a member of ASCA’s Government Affairs Committee.

Listen Now 19 min 56 sec

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

Succession Planning for ASCs

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with ASCA Board Member Lisa Austin, RN, CASC, about succession planning for ASCs. Austin, an ASC development and operations expert, is a member of the ASCA Board of Directors, a past president of the Colorado Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, a registered nurse and a CASC-certified administrator. This short, highly informative program offers valuable insights regarding the inevitable need to respond to leadership transitions in both facility management and physician partners. Austin’s strategies and advice apply equally to both independent ASCs and centers affiliated with a management company.

Listen Now 11 min 30 sec

JANUARY 19, 2023

Effectively Managing Device and Implant Procedures in the Outpatient Setting

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice talks with HST Pathways Chief Innovation Officer Gavin Fabian about the challenges, and potential solutions, for surgery centers that perform procedures that require the use of medical devices or surgical implants. As ASCA continues its efforts to add additional codes to the outpatient procedure list and secure appropriate reimbursement for all procedures, including those involving medical devices and surgical implants, this discussion focuses on strategies surgery centers can employ to better manage the financial aspects of these types of procedures. HST Pathways is a leading provider of surgery center management and software solutions and an ASCA affiliate.

Listen Now 13 min 33 sec

AUGUST 10, 2022

Robotic Devices in ASCs

In this episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA Chief Executive Officer Bill Prentice interviews Andrea Lessner, senior director of perioperative services at USPI’s OASIS Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. The two briefly discuss quality data and patient safety related to the use of robotic-assisted surgeries, then take a deeper dive into the business of robotic surgery in the ASC setting. Methods of evaluating robotic equipment, educating and training surgical teams and introducing and ramping up a robotics program in an ASC are addressed. The conversation takes place following Lessner’s presentation at the ASCA 2022 Conference & Expo in Dallas, Texas.

Listen Now 12 min 11 sec