Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) must comply with nondiscrimination requirements in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act by October 19, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association announced on September 28. The Act prohibits sex discrimination and requires language assistance for those with limited English proficiency and effective communication for…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on September 16 released its final rule on “Emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare and Medicaid participating providers and suppliers.” The rule establishes requirements to plan for natural and man-made disasters and coordinate with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local emergency…

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Leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are seeing little to no growth in salary, even through most are experiencing higher surgical volumes, according to the OR Manager 2016 Salary/Career Survey. The average annual salary was $104,721, slightly more than the $102,051 in 2015, but the average total compensation was down…

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Editor's Note The Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment (HOP) on August 22 unanimously recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) remove total knees from its inpatient-only list, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) reports. CMS is requesting information on the feasibility of removing total knees from…

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Editor's Note Outpatient surgery for uncomplicated acute appendicitis is feasible, this study finds. A total of 240 patients were divided into intention-to-treat and per protocol (ie, no preoperative exclusion criteria) groups. There was also a subgroup of patients who were discharged to home the day before surgery. The success rate…

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As surgical volume increases, staffing challenges are trending slightly upward for OR leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), with increases in open positions and turnover, according to the 2016 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. More than half of respondents (56%) reported higher surgical volumes during the past 12 months, significantly…

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Leaders of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) know a competent staff is essential for optimal patient outcomes and financial well-being, but competing pressures sometimes relegate competency assessment to completing a checklist to meet regulatory requirements. Unfortunately, this approach can result in missed opportunities. “Competency assessment helps promote safe care and quality…

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How can leaders of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) ensure they have a competent staff? First, they must hire staff with the right skill sets, and then they should implement meaningful methods for ongoing assessment. Here are some strategies for meeting these goals.   Begin with the hiring process “When you…

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Editor's Note The Center for Orthopedic Research and Education (CORE Institute), a group of orthopedic surgeons and neurologists based in Phoenix, Arizona, will be collaborating with the Joint Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on an infection prevention initiative for freestanding ambulatory healthcare settings, the July…

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Editor's Note The Monticello Community Surgery Center, Charlottesville, Virginia, is posting prices of outpatient procedures on its website, the July 22 CBS 19 reports. The center’s CEO Andy Poole calls it the “wave of the future of healthcare.” Though the center takes insurance and Medicare, knowing the total cost of…

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