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July/August Issue of Becker's ASC Review |
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Thursday, 21 August 2008 |
July/August 2008 Articles
| Meeting the Current Business Challenges in Ophthalmology |
| Ophthalmology has never been an extremely high-reimbursement specialty, and CMS’s new ASC payment system did little to change that. Further, Medicare patients remain the largest patient group for these procedures, so there isn’t much in the way of opportunity for compensating for minimal reimbursements. In other words, the challenges in this mature ASC specialty remain the same. |
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| Merging Two Centers - Can it Solve Certain Problems? |
| The merger of two centers with each other has not been a traditional strategy for surgery center growth over the past 10 years. Traditionally, merging two centers, absent certain motives such as redeeming certain physicians, has been viewed more as a negative than a positive. Mergers would often expand annual fixed costs and leave more physicians owning interests in two centers with less of a definite connection between the physicians that practice at the specific centers. |
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Expert Guidance to Help You Capitalize on New Urology Opportunities
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| The new Medicare payment system and expanded list of procedures brought
with them new, profitable opportunities for centers performing
urological procedures or considering offering urology in the future.
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| Should You Add These Complex Urology Procedures? |
In both single-specialty urology and multi-specialty ASCs, longer, more complex procedures can be a good fit and good for
profitability. The key for either type of facility is having a
dedicated fluoroscopy unit, with a cysto-fluoro table and a C-arm.
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| Prostate Brachytherapy: 2008 ASC Coding Changes |
| Anyone associated with ASCs is aware of the sweeping changes CMS has
instituted to the facility payment system. Few specialties or
procedures have undergone more changes than prostate brachytherapy. |
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| Four Steps to Profitable Retina in the ASC |
| Unlike cataracts, retina procedures are not ideally suited for the ASC:
They can be unpredictable, time-consuming and expensive in terms of
supplies and equipment. But the Medicare ASC payment system's increased
reimbursement for these cases makes them an intriguing possibility at
the very least. Here's what you need to know to add retina as a profit
line in your surgery center. |
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| Per Click and Ophthalmologist - Vendor Payment Arrangements |
This article describes a situation in which an ASC pays a physician
such as an ophthalmologist as a supplier on a per-case or per-click
basis for disposables, equipment and other items needed for surgery;
the ophthalmologist then performs procedures at the ASC. This type of
arrangement is fairly uncommon and, further, we believe it raises very
significant legal concerns under the Stark Act and the Medicare
Medicaid Anti-Kickback Fraud and Abuse Statute (the Anti-Kickback
Statute).
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| 12 Reasons to Consider Cataract Outsourcing Services as an Option for Providing Cataract Surgery |
| As the Medicare patient base continues to grow, so will the number of
instances of cataracts affecting these patients. While Medicare
reimbursement for cataract procedures saw small increases with the new
payment system, cataract cases are still a potentially solid addition
for a surgery center looking to increase profits and case volumes. |
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127 People to Know in the ASC Industry
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| Sami S. Abbasi. Sami Abbasi leads National Surgical Care as its
chairman and CEO. Before National Surgical Care, Mr. Abbasi served as
president and CEO of Radiologix, a leading national provider of
diagnostic imaging services.
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Gross Charges and Net Revenue Per Case for ENT, Ophthalmology and Urology
For ENT, ophthalmology and urology, here are the gross charges per case and net revenue per case:
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| Five Current Business and Clinical Issues for ENT in ASCs |
| Overall, much like ophthalmology, the
keys to success and profitability in ENT lie in being able to perform a
large number of procedures, and to do them as efficiently as possible. |
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| Follow Example Operative Note to Help Code Common ENT Procedure Correctly |
| The reimbursement rates for many ASC procedures have benefited and will
benefit under the new Medicare payment system. One such procedure
seeing a noticeable reimbursement boost is endoscopy with ethmoidectomy
(surgical drainage of the ethmoid sinus). Total endoscopy with
ethmoidectomy (CPT code 31255) will see its reimbursement increase 31
percent at the 2008 fully implemented rate. If your ASC performs ENT
procedures, this is a case that you may see more often because of this
reimbursement boost. |
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| Recent Attacks on Out-of-Network Practices Highlight the Need for Careful Assessment of Efforts |
| Two recent actions, one by the Office of the New York State
Comptroller, and one a court decision that comes out of a New Jersey
case, further highlight the need for ASCs to be very cautious in their
actions relating to out-of-network payments. |
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| 4 Case Studies: How You Can Use Benchmarking to Improve Practice |
You know you have to track quality and patient satisfaction indicators.
Your accreditation agency requires it; increasingly, your third-party
insurers may require reporting of data; and, soon, CMS will ask you to
track and report selected indicators.
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| What's New for Ophthalmology Surgery |
Infiniti Vision System
OZil Torisional handpiece
Alcon Laboratories
www.alcon.com
(800) 862-5266
FYI: The Infiniti Vision System features a patented low compliant fluidic management
system that decreases post-occlusion surge and a dual sensing of the
vacuum and irrigation pressure sensors to detect and adjust to changing
intraocular conditions. The proprietary OZil Torsional handpiece
delivers controlled, side-to-side ultrasonic shearing, and the Intrepid
Micro-Coaxial System includes IOL, phacoemulsification and incision
technologies that let surgeons transition to micro-incisions.
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| 3 Urology Products to Know |
Precise Cryoablation System
Galil Medical
www.galilmedical.com
(877) 639-2796
FYI: The Precise Cryoablation System lets urologists offer minimally invasive cryoablation treatment to prostate and kidney cancer patients. Precise features multi-point thermal sensors to record temperatures throughout the gland or tumor for a high level of procedure control. In addition, new i-Thaw technology eliminates the need for helium tanks for space and cost efficiency and supports the 17-gauge cryoablation needle family.
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| 5 Products for ENT Surgery |
Relieva Luma Sinus Illumination System
Acclarent
www.acclarent.com
(877) 775-2789
FYI: Acclarent's Relieva Luma Sinus Illumination System presents a new option for ENT surgeons trained to treat chronic sinusitis symptoms with balloon catheter dilation. Using trans-sinus illumination technology, Relieva Luma delivers full-strength, targeted fiberoptic light transmission and agile device handling, to let surgeons confirm sinus access under
direct visualization.
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| Q&A With Joint Commission's Michael Kulczycki |
Here's what Michael Kulczycki, the executive director of the Joint Commission's Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program, had to say about some current issues affecting ASCs.
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