The decision to add a new procedure in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) is a matter of weighing risks and opportunities. A long list of variables must be analyzed and compared. Is the prospect of higher profit worth the investment that will be required in staff and equipment? Is our…

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Delivering quality healthcare doesn’t end when a patient leaves the postanesthesia care unit. It continues until the final installment of the bill is paid. It continues even when the payment is overdue, missing, or refused. To stay in business, an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) must collect the fees it has…

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Most ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have some form of computer-based recordkeeping, such as scheduling and billing systems. So far, however, few have made the leap to electronic medical records (EMRs). With an EMR, clinicians enter data at the point of care, and that information is accessible to other clinical and…

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Peak One Surgery Center in Frisco, Colorado, had a lucrative day this past October, when surgeons performed 14 procedures on local residents in the following specialties: orthopedics, general surgery, gynecology, pain management, and gastroenterology. Their pay? A mountain of gratitude.   Helping at home Frisco, population 2,683, is located in…

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It is hard to have tea with a friend or brag about a school soccer victory without involving social media. What was once a private or family matter no longer seems real until it is texted, posted, or even turned into a movie. Healthcare organizations, including ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs),…

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) once again has extended the deadline to begin using International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) billing codes. Implementation has been set for October 1, 2015, and a growing number of billing, technology, and clinical specialists agree it is time to move ahead with…

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Surgical volume is up in nearly half (44%) of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), according to the 24th annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. To put this in perspective, consider that in 2009 only 19% of respondents said volume had increased and as recently as last year, only 25% reported an increase.…

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When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law, many ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders viewed it with optimism because it requires everyone to have health insurance unless they choose to pay a penalty. “We thought this would be a very positive thing because we would see an increase…

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Staffing in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) is remarkably stable, although surgical volume is increasing in many centers and recruiting is becoming more difficult, according to the 24th annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. More than 70% of respondents said both the percentage and number of open RN and surgical technologist (ST)…

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Leaders of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) can expect to continue facing challenges related to reimbursement even as they try to increase the kinds of procedures that can be performed in their facilities, say experts with the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA). Other key factors that will determine their future success…

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