Message from the CEO
BY BILL PRENTICE | SEPTEMBER 2020
The COVID-19 lockdown halted elective surgeries and moved most routine care online. This difficult step was necessary to save space in hospitals for those who needed immediate care and to make sure that our healthcare workers had sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE).
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BY BILL PRENTICE | JUNE-JULY 2020
As I write this column, we are in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. ASCA continues to work with the Trump administration and Congress to ensure ASCs can fully support COVID-19 response efforts across the country.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | APRIL 2020
Whether you are talking to your patients, friends or family members, chances are someone has a story about a time they, or someone they know, received a medical bill they were not expecting. It also is likely that at least some of those invoices were for a significant amount of money.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | FEBRUARY 2020
If you haven’t already registered for the ASCA 2020 Conference & Expo, May 13–16, in Orlando, Florida, I encourage you to sign up today. If you register before March 13, you will still qualify for early registration rates.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2019
One of the themes of this issue of ASC Focus is “emergency preparedness,” and as I write this column, Hurricane Dorian has just decimated parts of the Bahamas and created havoc along its entire path.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | SEPTEMBER 2019
As the year wraps up and you are busy tying up loose ends, I want to remind you of two important tools from ASCA that could help your outcomes next year.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | JUNE-JULY 2019
One of the themes of this issue of ASC Focus is “quality improvement” and I’d like you to take a minute and reflect on what you are doing to keep your ASC staff abreast of current regulatory and operational requirements. Keeping current on these requirements can improve your ASC’s patient outcomes.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | APRIL 2019
While consumers can compare prices and make informed decisions before buying myriad products and services, cost and quality of health care services are not easily available. That needs to change.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | FEBRUARY 2019
As the country grapples with a tragic opioid epidemic, the government and ASCA are working to support a comprehensive solution to address the abuse and misuse of pain-killers. According to the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), opioid overdoses accounted for more than 42,000 deaths in 2016, more than any previous year on record.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2018
Late in September, two Capitol Hill hearings provided opportunities for ASC supporters to talk with members of Congress about the value that ASCs provide to patients and the need for improved quality and price transparency in health care.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | SEPTEMBER 2018
This year is shaping up to be a momentous one for the ASC community. One important reason for that is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed 2019 ASC payment rule issued in July. That proposal suggests sweeping changes to Medicare’s ASC policies.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | JUNE-JULY 2018
Now that the annual meeting is behind us—and I hope all of you who were able to join us returned home with useful takeaways in the form of new ideas, information and connections—I want to share two new programs with you.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | APRIL 2018
ASC professionals with specialized knowledge and skills in infection prevention can now demonstrate their expertise through an infection prevention certification program introduced this year by the Board of Ambulatory Surgery Certification (BASC). The new Certified Ambulatory Infection Preventionist (CAIP) program also provides an opportunity for infection preventionists (IP) working in the ASC setting to distinguish themselves from IPs who work in other settings and to demonstrate their commitment to best practices in infection prevention and control.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | FEBRUARY 2018
As all of us here at ASCA are gearing up for ASCA 2018, April 11–14, in Boston, I want to encourage anyone who hasn’t already registered for this meeting to sign up now.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2017
In early September, ASCA submitted formal comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Medicare’s proposed 2018 ASC payment rule. Also known as the 2018 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule, it recommends ASC reimbursement rates for the coming year and other payment policies, including Medicare quality reporting requirements.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | SEPTEMBER 2017
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2018 proposed payment rule for ASCs and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) in July. While the proposal did not address all of ASCA’s concerns regarding Medicare reimbursement for ASC services, it did show a greater recognition of the evolution in care being provided in ASCs.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | JUNE-JULY 2017
This June-July issue of ASC Focus brings you articles on two key operational areas in your ASC: patient safety and marketing. Read a column on patient safety on page 8; learn about the most challenging accreditation guidelines related to medication management on page 10; find out how best to work with compounding pharmacies on page 14; consider ways to win over patients through engagement on page 16; and read about a screening colonoscopy program in a Missouri ASC that is seeing early success.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | APRIL 2017
With a new administration in the White House, a new secretary at the US Department of Health and Human Services and health care front and center in Congress, one thing is certain: change is on the horizon.
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BY BILL PRENTICE | FEBRUARY 2017
This issue of ASC Focus magazine looks at ASC advocacy and gives you insights into the agenda that ASCA will press with legislators, regulators and other policymakers this year. This issue also provides you with background on the members of our Government Affairs team who dedicate their time to advocating on your ASC’s behalf. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the members of this team and ASCA’s advocacy agenda, and then, to find ways that you can be more involved.
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