The economic downturn has checked in at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), although with less impact than in hospital OR suites. More than two-thirds (69%) of ASC respondents to the 19th annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey said the downturn had affected their staffing in the past 6 months, primarily through decreased…

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) have been getting more attention from regulators and health policymakers over the past year, and not all of it has been welcome. From quality reporting legislation to Medicare payment issues, ASCs have been under review. That is due in part to efforts by hospitals to curtail…

As if collecting payments from Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers wasn't complex enough, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) face the added obstacle of being considered out-of-network by payers in many circumstances. Out-of-network typically means an ASC does not have a participation agreement with the payer or managed care organization or is…

The economy is taking its toll on ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and other outpatient facilities. In all, 60% of ambulatory care organizations in a new survey have seen demand for their services fall over the past 12 months. For 11%, the decline was 20% or more. About one-fourth (27%) have…

Electronic commerce, slow to come to hospitals, has been even slower to reach ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Part of the reason is that large, distributor-hosted ordering systems were impractical for small clients such as ASCs. Even most Internet-based systems, now in common use, were designed for high-volume transactions. That is…

There are 3 ways to handle used disposable medical-surgical devices: throw them out after a single use (as the manufacturer recommends); reprocess them according to strict Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines; or hire a specialty company to collect, reprocess, and return them. The first option is expensive, compounding the…

Like their hospital and physician practice counterparts, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are feeling a financial pinch. Or are they? So far, the effects of the recession have manifested in different ways for ASCs, and hard data on nationwide trends are hard to find. "It's too early to tell," Cathy Head,…

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are about to find themselves more deeply connected with the communities they serve than ever before. Under the latest Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rule setting out conditions for coverage, ASCs must join their hospital colleagues in publishing disaster preparedness plans. The Medicare rule,…

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) are gearing up to comply with the newly revised Medicare Conditions for Coverage (CfCs). The revised conditions, issued Oct 30, 2008, are effective May 18, 2009. ASCs accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare (AAAHC) are also preparing to meet its 2009 standards, which have…

First part of a 2-part series. Is your ambulatory surgery center (ASC) having claims denied? Are you missing out on revenue or opening yourself to compliance risks because of coding problems? Top ASC coding and billing problems Unbundling Separate procedures Upcoding and undercoding Diagnosis coding issues Proper modifier usage Claim…