Here are seven news updates for ambulatory surgery center leaders to know for Nov. 6, 2014.
ASC payments to increase 1.4$% in 2015.
Ambulatory surgery center payment rates will rise 1.4 percent in 2015. The bump in payment is based on a 1.9 percent expected rate of inflation minus a 0.5 percent productivity adjustment, as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The payment increase is 0.2 percent higher than the 1.2 percent update included in the Medicare proposed rule.
AmSurg 3Q revenue nearly doubles.
AmSurg's net revenues were $503.2 million, up 91.3 percent from the third quarter of 2013. The company also exhibited 110.4 percent growth in adjusted EBITDA to $95.9 million. The company's net loss from continuing operations was $12.1 million; adjusted net earnings were $34.6 million, up 92.4 percent.
Surgery Partners closes Symbion acquisition.
Surgery Partners, a portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital, completed the $792 million acquisition of Symbion. The now combined businesses are expected to generate more than $900 million in annual revenues.
GIQuIC exceeds 1M colonoscopies.
The GI Quality Improvement, the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy joint quality reporting program, has had more than 1 million colonoscopy cases submitted to its national registry.
ASCs required to collect data on ASC-8.
Flu season officially started on Oct. 1, 2014. ASCs are required to collect data on ASC-8: Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel from Oct. 1 through March 31, 2015, as part of Medicare’s ASC Quality Reporting Program. ASCs must register with the National Healthcare Safety Network, which is managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read the full report on Becker's ASC Review.
Healthcare employee confidence foundering.
U.S. healthcare employees' confidence has fallen to the lowest level in over a year, decreasing from 59.8 in the second quarter of 2014 to 54.3 in the third quarter. However, the confidence index is still above 50.0, which indicates a positive confidence level on a scale from 0 to 100. Read the full report on Becker's Hospital Review.
OASCA elects board of directors.
Bruce C. Johnson, MD, was elected to replace outgoing Oregon Ambulatory Surgery Center Association president Jesseye Arrambide, RN, BSN, CNOR, who will remain on the board. Shelley Yuva, administrator of Slocum Surgery Center in Eugene, was elected vice president