Ashley Hilliard

Ashley Hilliard, administrator of Deerpath Ambulatory Surgical Center in Morris, Illinois, joined more than 70 other ASC professionals representing 28 states to participate in ASCA’s National Advocacy Day earlier this year in Washington, DC. From February 26 to 28, National Advocacy Day attendees met with 161 members of Congress and their staff to advocate for the ASC community and discuss the importance of supporting the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act of 2023 (H.R. 972/S. 312). Hilliard received a National Advocacy Day Scholarship that helped offset the cost of travel to attend the event.

Hilliard also is participating in ASCA’s facility tour program, which gives the association’s members an opportunity to meet with their lawmakers at their surgery center and showcase the impact ASCs have on patients and communities. Hilliard recently agreed to talk about her experiences with those programs. An excerpt from that conversation follows.