Editor's Note When polled earlier this month, 79% of Connecticut voters did not know a 6% tax on ambulatory surgery center (ASC) procedures had been implemented as part of their new state budget, the West Hartford News reports. The tax, to be paid by service providers, could push 25% of…

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Editor's Note A condition known as “post hospital syndrome” (PHS) is a significant risk factor for readmissions in patients who undergo elective ambulatory surgery, this study finds. Post hospital syndrome (PHS) is defined as having been hospitalized within 90 days before surgery. During hospitalization, patients are often sleep deprived and…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are collaborating on an initiative to adapt, enhance, and disseminate CDC infection prevention guidance in a variety of free-standing and ambulatory healthcare settings. The Joint Commission will select and work with 12 outpatient-focused professional organizations and…

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Editor's Note On October 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final 2016 payment rule for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). ASC payment rates will increase by 0.3%, which is based on a projected inflation rate of 0.8% minus a 0.5% productivity adjustment required by the Affordable…

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Credentialing of physicians and other independent practitioners is facing increased scrutiny from surveyors, professional associations and, in some cases, the public—not necessarily because of compliance failures but because healthcare legislation and technology improvements have made the process a conversation topic. Thus it may be a good time to review the…

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Editor's Note Thomas King, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the Knee, Hip & Shoulder Center, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has developed a process for total knee and hip replacements that allows many patients to leave the same day after surgery. He uses a combination of a minimally invasive technique, regional anesthesia,…

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Editor's Note For six outpatient surgical procedures, prices paid to ASCs grew in line with general medical prices, whereas prices paid to hospital outpatient departments for the same procedures climbed sharply, this study finds. Private insurers paid ASCs considerably more than Medicare for the same procedures. Medicare pays ASCs a legislated…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on October 8 released data showing that 99% of Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) use a Safe Surgery Checklist, the ASC Association reports. The data was collected in 2012 and made public on Medicare’s Hospital Compare website. Today, the Centers for…

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Editor's Note A study presented at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons annual meeting found that performing spine procedures in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) can reduce costs while sustaining patient satisfaction scores, Spine Surgery Today reports. Of 1,000 spine procedures performed in an ASC, eight patients had to be transferred to…

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Editor's Note This week, US Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2015, which is intended to preserve patient access to ASCs, The ASC Association reports. The Act would: Fix a flaw that allows Medicare to use different measures of inflation for ASCs…

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