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1. patient burn;
2. prophylactic intravenous antibiotic timing;
3. patient fall within the ASC;
4. wrong-site, wrong-side, wrong-patient, wrong-procedure, wrong-implant surgery; and
5. hospital transfer/admission.

A 19-page guide to assist ASCs in implementation of these measures at the ASC Quality Collaboration Web site.

"Given there is little in the literature on ASC performance and outcomes, implementing these measures will provide a better understanding of the true incidence of these outcomes," notes the guide. "The use of common definitions will allow for standardized reporting of this information on a nationwide basis. This would allow ASCs to benchmark their results and focus their quality improvement efforts. Currently, we have no means to measure against agreed upon national quality metrics."

The guide further notes the impending economic importance of beginning to collect, standardize and report on quality information:

"The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, a law passed by Congress, requires CMS to develop a quality measure reporting system for ambulatory surgical centers beginning no later than 2009. The Act imposes a penalty for any ASC that fails to submit the required data. The penalty is a 2 percent reduction of future annual Medicare ASC payment updates.

Indications at this time are that CMS will issue its proposals for this quality measure reporting system in the summer of 2008 and finalize those proposals in November 2008."

"ASCs provide exceptionally high quality and value to all healthcare consumers and purchasers, including Medicare, employers and managed care payors," says David Shapiro, MD, co-chair of the ASC Quality Collaboration. "The ASC Quality Collaboration looks forward to working in close partnership with CMS and others to implement quality measurement reporting based on the quality measures NQF has endorsed."

Formed in 2006, the ASC Quality Collaboration includes the following organizations: Accreditation Association Ambulatory for Health Care (AAAHC), Ambulatory Surgery Foundation, American College of Surgeons (ACS), Division of Healthcare Facilities Accreditation American Osteopathic Association (HFAP/AOA), AmSurg, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), CMS Quality Improvement Group, HCA: Outpatient Services Group, Surgical Care Affiliates, The Joint Commission, National Surgical Care, Nueterra Healthcare, Symbion Inc, and United Surgical Partners International (USPI).