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Make plans to attend the ASCA 2024 Conference & Expo, taking place April 17–20 in Orlando, Florida. This year’s conference features a slew of exciting new features as well as returning favorites. Restructured conference rates mean registration costs are reduced by up to 40 percent! This new pricing model features the lowest registration rates ASCA has offered in years. It will help you save money and make attending ASCA 2024 more accessible than ever before. Register today! |
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The data submission period for the fourth quarter (Q4) of ASCA’s 2023 Clinical & Operational Benchmarking Survey is now open and will close January 31. Subscribers should make sure to submit their data before the deadline in order to get a complete picture of trends for last year. Is your ASC on track for success in the new year? Make 2024 your facility’s best year yet by subscribing to ASCA’s 2024 Clinical & Operational Benchmarking Survey. |
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Applications for the March Certified Ambulatory Infection Preventionist (CAIP)® exam are now open through January 31. CAIP is the first credential designed specifically for infection preventionists in the ASC community.This certification distinguishes those with a comprehensive understanding of the skills and knowledge that the role of an ASC infection preventionist requires. |
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Reveal the hidden areas of instruments with the TOSI® washer test
Reveal the hidden areas of instruments with the TOSI® washer test, the easy-to-use blood soil device that directly correlates to the cleaning challenge of surgical instruments. TOSI® is the first device to provide a consistent, repeatable, and reliable method for evaluating the cleaning effectiveness of the automated instrument washer.
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The OAS CAHPS Survey is designed to measure patient experience with overall care received in ASCs. While the survey is currently voluntary, it will become mandatory for all eligible Medicare-certified ASCs next year and ASCA strongly encourages all ASCs to get started as soon as possible. ASCA members receive a discount on Press Ganey’s OAS CAHPS Survey. |
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6 Ways ASCs Lose Money Due to Disconnected Software
Rising expenses and a challenging reimbursement environment create significant financial pressure on surgery centers. It is crucial for ASCs to proactively address these avoidable issues that diminish their earnings.
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The Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) Survey will become a mandatory component of the ASC Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program in 2025. Facilities should start the process of selecting a vendor now to ensure they are able to meet this deadline. Read this ASC Focus article to learn about the survey, including its contents, collection modes, ASCQR measure calculations and more. |
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ASCA has updated its ASC Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program page to reflect 2024 measures and deadlines. You can also visit ASCA’s updated ASCQR Program requirements page for information on how to comply with ASCQR Program requirements in 2024 and review the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting Specifications Manual for more information on all measures.
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Drugmakers including Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda Pharmaceutical plan to raise prices in the United States on more than 500 drugs in early January, according to data analyzed by healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors. Excluding different doses and formulations, more than 140 brands of drugs will have their prices raised next month, the data showed.
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Reuters (12/29/23) Michael Erman; Patrick Wingrove
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Medical groups had a rocky 2023 as expenses outpaced revenue and staffing shortages continued, a survey from the American Medical Group Association revealed. The 2023 AMGA Medical Group Operations and Finance Survey, emailed to RevCycleIntelligence, reflects data from more than 5,700 individual clinics and over 15,000 providers.
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RevCycle Intelligence (12/20/23) Victoria Bailey
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Hospitals in areas across the U.S. have reintroduced mask mandates to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses. City hospitals in New York City have reinstated masks after data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a spike in cases in the state.
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Newsweek (12/28/23) Benjamin Lynch
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Today, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) issued the following statement on UnitedHealthcare’s destabilizing policies that are continuing to generate confusion and anxiety, increase administrative burden, and, most importantly, threaten patients’ access to the colonoscopies and endoscopies they need: This was a challenging year for patients who had an abnormal polyp in their colon, experienced intense gastrointestinal pain, or discovered blood in their stool. Unfortunately, UnitedHealthcare’s troubling announcement that it plans to impose prior authorization for virtually all endoscopy and colonoscopy services in “early 2024” ensures that next year will be even more unsettling and bring greater uncertainty for its 27 million commercial beneficiaries.
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American Gastroenterological Association (12/20/23)
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Charleston-area health systems are anticipating more competitors coming to the area to build ambulatory and urgent care centers now that the state legislature has lifted a “Certificate of Need” regulatory process required to build most health care facilities in the past. In 2023, the state legislature voted to repeal the state’s Certificate of Need regulations, eliminating the requirement for most health care facilities to obtain approval from the Department of Health and Environmental Control before building a new facility, purchasing certain medical equipment or providing additional medical services.
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Charleston Business (12/20/23) Jenny Peterson
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Olympus Corporation of the Americas is recalling certain bronchofiberscopes and bronchovideoscopes because they may lead to burns or catch fire. Using the affected bronchoscopes may cause serious adverse health consequences, including critical burns in a person’s airways or lungs, airway bleeding, trouble breathing, apnea, loss of consciousness, or death. Injuries may lead to prolonged procedures, additional medical care, extended hospitalization, ICU care, and death.
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FDA Medical Device Recalls (12/19/23)
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About ASCAMission: The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) is the national membership association that represents ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and provides advocacy and resources to assist ASCs in delivering high-quality, cost-effective ambulatory surgery to all the patients they serve. About Us: At ASCA, we are eager to help you become better acquainted with our nation's ASCs and the people who own and operate them. We are also eager to help you develop policies on ASC-related issues. If you have questions, please contact us. We'll put you in touch with the experts and, if you like, arrange for you to visit an ASC in your area. Contact Us: Advertising inquiries should be addressed to Chris Schriever or Alex Yewdell at 202.337.1897 or at advertising@ascassociation.org. Follow ASCA on
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