Average annual salary and total compensation By number of ORs Annual salary Total compensation <5 ORs $76,300 $87,800 5+ ORs $90,500 $109,800 By ownership Hospital owned $87,800 $101,900 Physician owned $73,400 $83,400 Corporate owned $84,200 $98,200 Joint venture $84,200 $103,900 By title Administrator/admin director $91,200 $108,600 Clinical director $80,000 $92,700…

Managing an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) entails more than delivering patient care and keeping the facility well equipped and supplied. It also means managing the people who work there—a delicate proposition for results-oriented administrators who may find themselves in charge of employees with a wide range of technical and social…

The staffing news for OR nurse leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) is good. The number of open positions is down for RNs and unchanged for surgical technologists (STs) compared to 2007, with the turnover rate lower for both. Still, recruitment difficulties remain. Those are some highlights from the 18th…

If certain proposed rules regarding Medicare conditions for coverage (CFC) take effect, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) will face more complex—and some say unfair—regulatory criteria. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to release final rules later this year, to take effect in January 2009. Until then, ASCs should…

Many nurses at ambulatory surgery centers managed by Addison, Texas-based United Surgical Partners International (USPI) are sporting a new badge. It says, "We Care," followed by a promise to speak up if they see an error or potential error in treatment. It is a promise to patients and physicians. It…

Medicare plans to step up quality reporting in 2009 for hospital outpatient departments. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) would get a reprieve for 2009, as they did for 2008. A draft rule issued July 3 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes 2009 updates for the outpatient prospective…

STOP screen for OSA A simple, validated tool to screen for obstructive sleep apnea has 4 questions: Patients who answer yes to 2 or more of the questions are ranked as being at high risk for OSA. Combined with other known risk factors for OSA, high BMI, age over 50,…

With reimbursement for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) becoming tighter, the need to run an efficient and productive facility has never been greater. ASCs can hope that staff will recognize the highly competitive times and step up efforts to help improve the performance of the center and keep it profitable without…

Part two of two articles. Last month, we analyzed how the new Medicare payment system for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and the expanded list of Medicare-approved procedures affect orthopedics, podiatry, general surgery, and gastroenterology. The new payment system took effect Jan 1, and more than 800 procedures were added to…

The possibility of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is one of the things patients dread most about surgery. Fortunately, there are evidence-based steps your ambulatory surgery center (ASC) can take to prevent this distressing complication. Without treatment, some 20% to 30% of patients will have nausea and vomiting—rising to 70%…