Digital Debut

ASCA Member Hosts Facility Tour during National ASC Month

South Kansas City Surgicenter welcomes Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS) to its facility

INTERVIEWED BY MAIA KUNKEL | AUGUST 2023

From left: Christine Blackburn, administrator; Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS); and Ryan Grindstaff, MD, president of Anesthesia Associates of Kansas City, during the congresswoman’s tour of South Kansas City Surgicenter.

In August, ASCs across the country celebrate National ASC Month to highlight the high-quality, cost-effective surgical care that surgery centers provide to their patients and communities. ASCs write letters of support for the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act of 2023, download special banners to recognize the month and sign up to host facility tours for their members of Congress and their staff .

Earlier this month, South Kansas City Surgicenter in Overland Park, Kansas, hosted a tour for Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS). The conversation allowed the facility staff to discuss the state of the surgery center community with the congresswoman and the need to support crucial ASC legislation. Below is an excerpt from an interview with Christine Blackburn, administrator of the surgery center.

Q: What topics did you discuss during your facility tour?

Christine Blackburn (CB): Representative Sharice Davids ran on a platform of accessible and affordable healthcare, so I started my conversation with how ASCs provide affordable and accessible healthcare to patients. I then moved on to educating her on what an ASC is, what it means and how they work. We also discussed how much ASCs in Kansas save Medicare commercial payers each year and provided state savings data to aid in the discussion.

We discussed the CPT codes approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and those that are not approved, and how wishy-washy CMS is, for example, removing the inpatient-only list to then reinstate it without any clarification on why. CMS is not transparent when it comes to not approving procedures to the ASC Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL) and what data they need in support of adding these codes.

We discussed the Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment and the importance of having an ASC representative on the panel. The congresswoman asked what the pushback would be and from whom. Finally, we discussed the movement of procedures from the hospital—more expensive—to the ASC, and the lobbying power the hospitals have in Congress.

Q: Why is it important to advocate for ASCs with your lawmakers?

CB: I am so glad I did the facility tour with Representative Davids. She was engaged, asked questions—this gave exposure to our center—the staff were excited! She was so friendly and introduced herself to everyone she met.

Q: Do you have any takeaways from your facility tour?

CB: I was not sure how the tour would go, but with the education and support from ASCA, we had a really good discussion. I think I saw a small bit of what it is like to be a politician.

Q: Why should other ASCs get involved during National ASC Month?

CB: It is important for ASCs to get involved on the local level to engage with their representative or senators to educate and advocate for our space at the table. There is a void in regard to how important ASCs are to the community.

For more information on participating, visit ASCA’s National ASC Month webpage. ASCA members interested in hosting a facility tour for their members of Congress can complete the Facility Tour Interest Form or visit ASCA’s facility tour webpage for more information.

Write Maia Kunkel, ASCA’s Government Affairs manager, at mkunkel@ascassociation.org with questions.