Member Focus

Title: Administrator
Facility Name: Union City Surgery Center
City: Union City
State: Tennessee
Length of time your facility has been an ASCA member: Five or more years

How do you encourage your surgeons to complete operative reports on time?

Our facility established a policy and procedures early on, in the development stages of the ASC, requiring all practicing surgeons to dictate and complete postoperative notes immediately following all surgical procedures. This regulation affords a more accurate account of the procedure since it is done so quickly postop. Compliance has not been an issue for our facility. All dictations are printed immediately and signed by the surgeons before they proceed on to the next procedure. Our billing department reviews the postop notes and verifies the correct codes have been assigned to the procedures prior to sending a copy to the physicians' offices. This ensures more accurate medical records and allows for the initiation of the billing process. It has proven to be an efficient practice for the facility and physicians in facilitating reimbursements in a timely manner.

What is your process for tracking vendor vaccination status?

The COVID-19 policy and procedures established at our facility in part covers the CMS-mandated requirement for all members of the healthcare setting to be fully vaccinated. All vendors were notified that to enter our facility and be in the operating rooms during procedures they would be required to provide a copy of their COVID-19 vaccination record, verifying full vaccination status, or apply for either a religious or medical exemption to be reviewed and decided upon by our board of directors. Once a copy of the COVID-19 vaccination record has been obtained verifying compliance, or a waiver has been approved, the vendor is allowed to enter the facility. The front office staff check the COVID-19 checklist to verify that vendors are cleared prior to authorizing entry into the patient area. It has been an effective method.