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Make Sure Your ASC Is Performing at Its Best; Look to ASCA for Help

By Bill Prentice

May is a good month for ASCs to take stock of their overall operations and consider any adjustments they might want to make to be certain they end the year stronger than they started it. ASCA offers a range of resources to help. All are developed specifically for ASCs.

Benchmarking

For ASCs that want to determine how their facility is performing in comparison to others in their area or across the country, ASCA’s Clinical and Operational Benchmarking Survey is a good place to start. 

This survey collects data on volume, quality, operations, outcomes, complications, staffing and finance. Three optional specialty tracks also allow ASCs to compare data on total joint, complex spine and ophthalmology procedures. Since 2020, the survey has been recognized as meeting the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care’s (AAAHC) Advanced Orthopaedic Certification requirements as a nationally recognized specialty-specific data repository. 

Participants complete the survey four times a year and have year-round access to the reports. Q1 reports for the program are available May 15. ASCs that have not subscribed to the 2022 survey can still sign up. Although they will not be able to submit Q1 data, they will be able to see others’ reports for the full year.

Regulatory Compliance 

As always, as the leading advocate for ASCs of every specialty in Washington, D.C., ASCA is in a unique position to provide the information and resources ASCs need to comply with all the new regulations Medicare and others introduce each year. We offer a mix of publicly available and members-only resources that include our Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, online resources, ASC Focus magazine, webinars and in-person and virtual events.

So far this year, in response to requests from our members and others, we have put a lot of time into compiling and sharing the information ASCs need to comply with the new billing and patient notification requirements set in the No Surprises Act. We have also developed resources to help ASCs meet Medicare’s 2022 quality reporting requirements, including the program’s new vaccine quality reporting measure ASC-20: COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among HCP. 

For Staff

ASCA continues to offer a broad range of opportunities for ASC staff to get the education they need to take their skills to the next level and provide the highest quality care. From an online training series that individuals can access and study at their convenience on their home or office computer to our yearlong webinar series and other on-demand events, these programs feature top experts in ASC management in every operational area in an ASC. Several offer valuable information for candidates preparing for the Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC) and Certified Ambulatory Infection Preventionist (CAIP) credentialing exams. 

This year, one program we are especially proud of is a new mentoring program we developed to help new and aspiring ASC administrators master the multi-faceted skillset needed to manage an ASC. Through this ASC Administrator Development Program, we connect mentors, who are experienced ASC administrators, with mentees, who are ASC administrators who have just stepped into that role or other ASC staff hoping to become an ASC administrator one day. Throughout the year the mentees participate in specialized educational programs and meet periodically with their mentors to discuss a prescribed curriculum as well as other ASC management questions they bring to those meetings personally. 

ASCA designed this program in response to concerns expressed by our members about the growing number of ASC administrator positions that are becoming available at the same time we are hearing that these vacancies are becoming increasingly difficult to fill. In its first year, the program is on track to enroll more than 30 mentees and more than 20 mentors. It is too late to sign up for this year’s program, but I encourage anyone with an interest in this opportunity to consider enrolling next year.

For Physicians

ASCA’s ongoing advocacy efforts make the needs of ASC physicians a priority, whether those physicians are owners of a center or not. To keep these physicians informed about the legislative, regulatory and business developments that affect the care they provide in the ASC setting, ASCA now offers a free quarterly one-pager we call the “ASC Physician Brief.” Mindful of the many demands on every physician’s time, the news is distilled down to its essence and presented in bite-size pieces that can be absorbed quickly. Readers who want to delve deeper are invited to consult the source material provided.

Also for physicians, we continue to invite other ASC physicians to talk about ways they have expanded their ASCs, overcome challenges or pioneered new territory in the ASC setting. We share these stories in our podcast, our magazine and our educational programs throughout the year.

Membership

Of course, the best way to be sure you have access to all the resources and information ASCA offers you is for your ASC to be a member of ASCA. ASCA membership dues also support the critical advocacy work we do on behalf of ASCs. Without our members, that work would not be possible, and ASCs would not be involved in the critical regulatory and policymaking conversations taking place today that will determine what role ASCs will play in the U.S. health care system in the future. 

If your ASC is not a member, or if you are not sure if your ASC is a member, please contact Mykal Cox. He can help you become a member and gain access to all the specialized tools and resources ASCA has developed exclusively for ASCs.  

– Bill Prentice is the chief executive officer of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA).

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