Digital Debut

Maryland ASC Hosts Facility Tour for Senate Staff

Palisades Eye Surgery Center welcomes staff from the offices of Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen

INTERVIEWED BY MAIA KUNKEL | APRIL 3, 2026

Palisades Eye Surgery Center in Bethesda, Maryland, hosted staff from the offices of Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) for a facility tour recently. During the tour, the senate staffers viewed a cataract procedure while the ASC staff explained it to them in real time. The process highlighted the efficiency of surgery centers and the quality care that they provide to their community. Attendees also learned about the current challenges that ASCs face to providing care to their patients, including cuts to reimbursement in ophthalmology and barriers to access care. Below is an interview with Todd Uhlman, chief executive officer at the facility.

Q: What were the key topics you discussed during the tour with the senate staff?

Todd Uhlman (TU): We highlighted the similarities between regulatory requirements of ASCs with our hospital counterparts, emphasizing that ASCs deliver quality-driven patient outcomes and experience at a significant cost savings to patients and the overall healthcare system. The main topics included access to Medicare and Medicaid, cuts to ophthalmologist reimbursement for cataract surgery, challenges with ophthalmology access at hospital systems, concerns regarding trends to push care to less regulated sites and the ways to deal with federal agents in the healthcare space. We also touched on access for underserved populations and utilization of Medicaid programs.

Q: Was there a particular moment or conversation during the tour that stood out to you?

TU: One of the highlights of the tour was when Dr. [Hylton] Mayer described a cataract surgery in real time while another surgeon performed it. A lot of work goes into preparing each patient for surgery—from getting them on the schedule to prepping them and sending them into the OR—but the procedure itself is very quick. It is another example of the value that ASCs bring to the healthcare landscape, providing an efficient and quality-driven option for patients.

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

TU: ASCs have become more than just an alternative to hospitals for surgical care, and in some specialties like ophthalmology, they might be considered the setting of choice because of their quality and efficiency. We are a vital component of the healthcare landscape yet we are often misunderstood or perceived as poor-quality surgery sites. ASCs bring incredible value to their patients and the overall healthcare system.

Q: Do you have any takeaways from your facility tour? If so, what are they?

TU: I was pleased with the preparation and level of interest of our guests. I felt we were heard, and our concerns with Medicare and Medicaid access to care issues and reimbursement for our surgeons would be conveyed to their principals.

Q: What advice would you give to an ASC that is considering hosting a facility tour for the first time?

TU: Do it. Nobody knows our industry better than us. It is far better for congresspersons to hear from us about our capabilities and concerns than for them to get a one-sided viewpoint from competitive industries with bigger lobby arms. So, please get in there and go for it!

Hosting facility tours and meetings with your lawmakers, whether in person or virtual, provides opportunities to directly connect with and educate elected officials about ASCs and their impact on their respective communities. ASCA has developed its facility tour program to ensure that conducting a tour is an easy and intuitive process for its members. 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.