Infection control is in the spotlight again, as ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) examine a draft Health and Human Services (HHS) document calling for closer scrutiny of precautions in outpatient settings. The agency released a draft of Phase 2 of its National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) on April…

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The downside of scientific advances is that we come to depend on them and assume they will always be available. In the case of lifesaving pharmaceutical products, that has not been true for a long time. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), because of their relatively low purchasing power and lack of…

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A new resource has emerged to help ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) manage the proliferating requirements they face in achieving and demonstrating performance. It is the quality council. “Another meeting?” one might ask. “Another task that does not include hands-on patient care?” Actually, a well-run quality council can save time, ensure…

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The impact of health care reform on ambulatory surgery centers (ASC)—like that on health care in general—is still uncertain. But plenty of other factors are at work that are likely to play a role in shaping the industry’s future. While the dramatic growth of the 1990s has largely abated, a…

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Cataract surgery, almost exclusively outpatient, can have a serious complication if instruments retain a chemical residue after cleaning. It is known as TASS, for toxic anterior segment syndrome. Ophthalmologists say it is rare, but there are no consistent data to indicate when, where, and how often TASS occurs. The Food…

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For a variety of reasons, survey inspectors this year are looking more closely at ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) and other outpatient facilities for evidence of compliance with sharps-safety guidelines. Bloodborne pathogens, of course, have been a concern since awareness of HIV and hepatitis C emerged. Physicians and nurses have long…

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Patients are getting heavier, and outpatients are no exception. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies nearly one-third of Americans as obese. Meanwhile, the number of procedures deemed suitable for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) is increasing. That is not a problem if patients are properly screened, experts agree,…

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Starting now, in January 2012, ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) and hospital outpatient departments need to be using a safe surgery checklist and keep using it through all of the calendar year. That’s one quality measure in Medicare’s new ASC quality reporting program set forth in the 2012 outpatient payment rule…

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes new quality measures, including a new quality reporting program for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), in its proposed 2012 outpatient rule issued July 1, 2011. The rule applies to hospital outpatient departments and ASCs. Comments are accepted until August 30. A final…

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Laptops are stolen from a physician's office in a break-in, compromising data for hundreds of patients. An employee loses a personal hard drive that contains patient data. A radiologist joins a new outpatient facility and contacts patients from his previous employer, using information he downloaded before he left. Is your…

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