ASCA News Digest

Published September 23, 2025

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The Trump administration’s six-figure fee for high-skilled visa applicants threatens to worsen a shortage of US doctors and make it harder for rural hospitals to operate, medical groups warned. The $100,000 fee for H-1B visas “risks shutting off the pipeline of highly trained physicians that patients depend on, especially in rural and underserved communities,” said American Medical Association President Bobby Mukkamala, a Michigan head and neck surgeon.
Bloomberg (09/22/25) John Tozzi; Katia Porzecanski; Jaewon Kang; et al.
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Improve your ASC’s financial performance with ASCA’s Financial Strategies for ASCs virtual course. The second half of this new course, Part II: Finance 201, will be available on demand next Monday, September 29.

The course will provide key financial insights, covering topics like balance sheets, income statements, expense management, Medicare reimbursement and budgeting.

This course—along with ASCA’s entire suite of virtual education—is included in 2025 ASCA membership and also available for purchase by nonmembers. Register today!
ASCA Content (09/23/25)
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SPONSORED CONTENT
Virtual Focus Group: Solving the Anesthesia Staffing Crisis
Anesthesia staffing remains one of the most pressing challenges in outpatient care—affecting patient and surgeon scheduling and, consequently, their satisfaction. Be part of the conversation that could change how anesthesia is delivered in ASCs.
Join this exclusive focus group, hosted by SedAssure, for real peer insight and the opportunity to influence a national conversation that may help shape policy, innovation and vendor development on anesthesia staffing for years to come.
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The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) released its 2025 Quality Roadmap, an annual report that provides ambulatory care organizations with actionable insights to strengthen compliance and improve patient outcomes, according to a release. Drawn from more than a year of AAAHC survey findings, the report highlights the most common accreditation deficiencies and offers compliance guidance directly from experienced AAAHC surveyors.
ASC Focus (09/22/25)
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SPONSORED CONTENT
Procision's AI Voice for Pre-Op Calls

Pre-operative calls are essential for patient safety and surgical readiness — but they place a heavy burden on clinical staff. Procision’s new AI Voice Assistant offers a smarter, scalable way to handle these calls while maintaining a personal, voice-first experience for patients.

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Last week, ASC Data, a provider of market intelligence for the ASC community, announced a strategic partnership with ASCA. Through this collaboration, ASC Data will join ASCA’s Affinity Partnership program, providing ASCA members with exclusive pricing on its data packages and market analytics services, according to a release. Read this Business News article for more information about the new partnership.
ASCA Content (09/23/25)
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Beat the Heat with Ethos® Automated Ultrasound Probe Cleaner Disinfector

Are your ultrasound probes tired of the heat and can't stand all the UV light? If so, Ethos is the solution for your cleaning and disinfecting needs. Save your probes and your time.

Medical device manufacturer Exactech has agreed to pay $8 million to settle allegations that it concealed defects in a popular line of artificial knee implants, which have been blamed for thousands of patient injuries in lawsuits. The settlement resolves two whistleblower lawsuits alleging the Florida company violated the federal False Claims Act by billing government health care programs such as Medicare for knee replacement parts it knew were defective.
KFF Health News (09/19/25) Fred Schulte
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ASCA’s Salary & Benefits Survey is a great tool to use as you plan your facility’s 2026 budget.

These survey reports allow ASCs to compare their compensation packages to similar ASCs, negotiate a raise, or determine salary and benefits for a new position. ASCs can benchmark their information with other ASCs from the same region, with a similar number of employees, of the same specialty, with a similar number of patient encounters and more.

ASCA members save $100 on survey reports. Participants who completed at least 40 percent of the survey can access their reports for free! Purchase or access your report today.
ASCA Content (09/23/25)
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SPONSORED CONTENT
Imagine increasing the payments at your Surgery Center with easy online payments for patients.... Too good to be true? We do this for ASCs like yours.

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Premier Surgery Center in Brunswick, Georgia, successfully performed its first Stryker Mako robotic-assisted total joint surgery on Monday, September 8. The procedure was performed by Kevin Brooks, MD, a total joint surgeon with Optim Orthopedics, who has completed more than 2,000 robotic-assisted joint replacement surgeries during his career.
Savannah Business Journal (09/12/25)
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Expertise for every phase of the journey
Your ASC should reflect your vision—innovative, efficient and built for success. We provide deep expertise during every phase – planning, execution and beyond – to help ensure there aren’t any missteps during the journey. Request a copy of Stryker’s ASC New Build Playbook today.

Earlier this week, ASCA submitted formal comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2026 proposed payment rule for ASCs and hospital outpatient departments. Read this Digital Debut to learn more.
ASCA Content (09/23/25)
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This study underscores the importance of personalized medical optimization in enhancing the safety of [total joint arthroplasty] for patients who have elevated [body mass index (BMI)]. Focusing on management of preoperative comorbidities and custom surgical planning can achieve outcomes comparable to those of patients who have normal BMIs at ASCs, questioning BMI as an exclusion criterion and advocating for more inclusive, evidence-based patient selection.
Journal of Arthroplasty (08/25/25) Benjamin W. Wong; Emily R. Oleisky; Anoop S. Chandrashekar; et al.
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On September 15 and 16, 89 ASCA members and staff, representing 30 states, met with 122 members of Congress and their staff to help educate federal legislators about the ASC community and secure further support for the Medicare Beneficiary Co-Pay Fairness Act. Read more in last week’s Government Affairs Update.
ASCA Content (09/23/25)
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Perioperative [low-level light therapy (LLLT)] is a safe, well-tolerated, and effective treatment for preventing iatrogenic [dry eye disease] in cataract surgery. Integrating LLLT into the routine perioperative care may enhance patient satisfaction and overall outcomes in the setting of cataract surgery.
Ophthalmology and Therapy (08/24/25) Mihaela-Madalina Timofte-Zorila; Filippo Lixi; Nicoleta Vlas; et al.
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News summaries © copyright 2025 Smithbucklin
About ASCA

Mission: 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.

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