Message from the President

Staying Safe and Keeping Patients Informed During a Pandemic

BY MICHAEL PATTERSON, RN, CASC | OCTOBER 2020

As the world works out how to live with COVID-19, we, the healthcare providers and facilities, have an obligation to keep our patients informed, safe and educated.

Patient Care and the ASC Value Proposition

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | AUGUST 2020

Exceptional patient care and safety have always been the top priorities for ASCs, and that has not changed since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.

Role of ASCs in the Fight Against COVID-19

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | MAY 2020

The COVID-19 battle rages on as the nation and its healthcare system struggle to get ahead of the pandemic.

ASCA 2020: Take a Deep Breath and Jump In

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | MARCH 2020

ASCA 2020 is right around the corner, and I hope you are making plans to attend one of the finest ASC educational and networking events of the year.

Let’s Celebrate 50 Years of Clinical Excellence With More Success

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | JANUARY 2020

Without excellence in clinical care, we will, over time, become extinct. Just being the lower-cost provider is useless without the best clinical outcomes. When we combine these two pillars of the industry—lower cost and clinical excellence—we create value for our stakeholders.

Use Marketing, Tell Your ASC's Story

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | OCTOBER 2019

Summer is over and I see back-to-school product marketing all around. That makes me think about how rarely we see ads for surgery centers or specials in healthcare.

Ophthalmology Cases Give ASCs a Chance to Shine

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | AUGUST 2019

Ophthalmic surgical procedures have been the mainstay of surgical practices in ASCs for many years. Since the likelihood of cataract procedures is tied to the aging process, a great majority of cases are covered by Medicare. By age 65, more than 90 percent of the US population will have a cataract surgery. Women have more cataracts than men, and it is projected that the number of people with cataracts will double to 50 million by 2030. That is a lot of people who will need great surgery centers and surgeons to provide this service. I will be one of them.

Orthopaedic Procedures in the ASC Setting

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | MAY 2019

It doesn’t matter if you spell it orthopaedics or orthopedics, this specialty is very important to the ASC industry. As Baby Boomers, we have worn out our hyaline cartilage, torn our rotator cuffs and, in general, have worn out.

Role of Technology in Your ASC

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | MARCH 2019

Use of technology has been increasing in surgery centers for many years. As we continue to meet the needs of surgeons and patients in the future, will technology be your friend or foe?

Health Care Consumerism: Are You Ready?

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | JANUARY 2019

Whether you are working with a single independent consumer or a representative from a workplace sponsored plan, today’s consumers are seeking decreased cost, increased quality and an improved experience in their health care encounters. How well are you prepared to meet their demands?

Collect Data, Use it to Educate Policymakers

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | OCTOBER 2018

Data is changing the face of the world. To continuously improve, a business needs to collect data, analyze it and make changes based on that analysis. This process is critical for all businesses, but especially, the business of health care. Data collected over years helps a business influence its competitive advantage and sustainability.

Maintaining Our Foothold on Excellence

BY LARRY TAYLOR, CASC | AUGUST 2018

Greetings. As you might already know, I was elected president of ASCA’s Board of Directors this past April. As president, I look forward to using this space to discuss some of the important issues confronting ASCs and helping to define our practices and policies and the care we deliver to our patients.

Apply the Pareto Principle at Your ASC

BY REBECCA CRAIG, RN, CASC | MAY 2018

Networking with participants at ASCA’s annual meetings each year always reminds me of the incredible people who work in this industry. Their passion and dedication for those we serve is inspiring. Once we “sharpen our saw” with this great educational opportunity each year, we return to our centers and look for areas of improvement. We need to continuously search for these opportunities in our quest to provide outstanding care and service to all our customers—our patients, physicians and team members—because this is what sets us apart.

Emphasize the Importance of Early CRC Screening

BY REBECCA CRAIG, RN, CASC | MARCH 2018

In its latest recommendations in June 2017, the US Multi-Society Task Force (MSTF) on Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening confirmed that people at average risk should be screened beginning at age 50. The task force— made up of representatives from the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy—recommended colonoscopy and fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) as the “first tier” screening tests for this group.

Staying on Our Toes

BY REBECCA CRAIG, RN, CASC | JANUARY 2018

New Year’s greetings.

“The old order changeth, yielding place to new,” and along with the new, come changes. The ASC industry is known for its ability to be nimble and adapt quickly to the ever-changing health care landscape. This flexibility keeps us at the top of our game to ensure we continue to provide high-quality, cost-effective health care to our customers. We have no room in our industry for complacency or status quo. I encourage all of us to continuously be seeking improvements in our everyday activities and processes.

Look to ASCA, Talk to ASCA to Get the Services You Need

BY REBECCA CRAIG, RN, CASC | OCTOBER 2017

ASCA rolled out a new program this year that gives the association’s facility members and ASCs across the country easy access to several important resources they can use to meet regulatory requirements, cut costs, educate staff and continue to deliver top-quality patient care.

How MACRA, MIPS Affect Your Physician Services

BY REBECCA CRAIG, RN, CASC | AUGUST 2017

In the last few months, some of you might have received a letter from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) talking about Medicare’s new Quality Payment Program. This program is part of a large-scale shift in the way Medicare pays physicians and other clinicians since Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) in 2015.

ASC Payment Reform Deserves Bipartisan Support

BY REBECCA CRAIG, RN, CASC | MAY 2017

Late last year, Congress adopted two important measures that ASCA and ASCs had been supporting for some time (see Digital Debut). While we appreciate the congressional support that those provisions received, the work ASCs need to do on Capitol Hill is far from over.

CRCS Saves Lives and You Can Help

BY REBECCA CRAIG, RN, CASC | MARCH 2017

The evidence is clear: effective colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) prevents colon cancer and lowers the risk of death due to CRC. For more on this topic, listen to Richard Wender, MD, at www.ascassociation.org/wender.

ASCA’s Annual Meeting this Year? You Need to Be There

BY REBECCA CRAIG, RN, CASC | JANUARY 2017

Have you made your travel arrangements? ASCA 2017 is May 3–6 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, just minutes from Washington, DC. With more than 60 educational sessions, an exhibit hall filled with state-of-the-art, time- and money-saving solutions for your ASC and a one-of-a-kind opportunity to join your colleagues in visiting Capitol Hill to advocate for policies that protect and support your ASC, this meeting is one you just can’t miss.

Register Now for ASCA’s Three Winter Seminars

BY REBECCA CRAIG, RN, CASC | OCTOBER 2016

Start your New Year right by participating in one of three new seminars that ASCA is offering in San Antonio, Texas, this January. Developed to address critical operational areas in your facility that ASC managers and staff routinely tell us keep them up at night, these three programs will give you the essential information you need to make sure that your ASC is in compliance, on solid financial ground and on track for future success.