Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society representatives met with BlueCross BlueShield of Texas representatives to discuss key issues for ASCs, according to a TASCS newsletter.
Dan McCoy, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer of BlueCross BlueShield of Texas; Director of Physician Advocacy/External Stakeholders David Marwitz; and Director of Ancillary Providers, Network Performance Management Beth Ann Moreen were in attendance.
From TASCS, there were several team members present:
• Jay Yepuri, MD — Vice president and board member
• Kimberly Persley, MD — Board member
• Cheryl Garmon — Board member
• Milla Perry Jones — Board Member
• Jill Sluder — Board member
• Christopher Vesy, MD
• Marion Lowe
• Steve Blake — Executive Director
The meeting included discussion about aligning incentives to help drive treatment to appropriate facilities and providers, and expanding the education program so BCBS members could identify the best available options. According to the newsletter, "BCBSTX appears to be willing to look into assisting in a potential marketing initiative to highlight the cost effectiveness benefits of ASC utilization."
The meeting also addressed costs and moving higher acuity cases to ASCs. Bundled payments were also on the agenda, along with network exclusions and adequacy discussions.
"In this arena, again the more data that can be shown where ASCs are doing tougher cases cheaper, safer, with high patient satisfaction, the easier it will be to soften objections. Make no mistake, the loss of higher acuity case revenue is not one where the competition will sit idly by. ASCs cannot sit on the sideline; rather we need to be aggressively helping educate not only the payers but the public as well," according to a report from TASCS on the meeting.