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Numerous other examples of this enhanced visibility of ASCs can be cited. For example, the Colorado Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (CASCA) was recently recognized by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt for being a community leader for value-driven healthcare; 69 members of Congress are sponsors or co-sponsors of ASC legislation, and several members of Congress have written CMS on our behalf. This increased focus doesn?t mean that all the policies ASCs support are being enacted, but it does give us a chance to affect some of the decisions being made today and work toward bigger successes in the future.

2. What are the biggest challenges ASCs are now and will be facing?
KB: Our biggest challenge is responding to government actions at all levels that would restrict our ability to provide the highest quality care. To meet this challenge, we need all ASCs to get involved. There are many ways for ASCs to participate. If every ASC hosted an open house, awareness of the benefits and services that ASCs provide would grow dramatically. If half of the employees in every ASC sent just one letter a month to an elected official, the impact would be incredible. If each ASC?s physicians contributed $1,000 to the PAC, our involvement would be phenomenal.

3. Are ASCs and the insurance industry natural enemies or allies? Why is this the case?
KB: The insurance industry should love ASCs. ASCs offer insurers the opportunity to give those they insure better service and the best outcomes at a lower cost. ASCs are also on the same page as the insurance industry on issues like transparency. Some insurers understand the benefits ASCs offer and are eager to guarantee access. Unfortunately, like many patients and elected and appointed officials, not all insurers are knowledgeable about ASCs. These insurers tend to be more concerned about offering hospital benefits and neglect ASCs.

4. What can ASCs do to help rectify/strengthen their relationships with payers?
KB: Our best strategy is to expand awareness of ASC benefits. ASCs have an unbelievably positive message to convey, but we haven?t done a good enough job yet in conveying that message to everyone who needs to hear it. To be effective with payors, we need to address our message not only to insurers, but also to patients and employers ? constituents whom insurers respond to. One way of doing this is by participating in ASC Open House Day on Aug. 13. Through these events, ASCs inform those who live and work in their community about the outstanding benefits and services ASCs provide.

Kathy Bryant, JD, is president of the ASC Association and leads the activities of the nation's largest ASC membership association. This association represents the interests of multi- and single-specialty ASCs, the health care professionals who deliver health care in such centers and the patients who seek care in ASCs in policy-making forums across the nation. The association also assists ASCs in meeting the challenges of operating an ASC by providing and coordinating services such as the nation's largest outcomes monitoring project and a national compliance hotline.

Ms. Bryant is a frequent speaker on ambulatory surgery issues and regularly consults with policy makers on regulatory and legislative issues of interest to ASCs. Ms. Bryant also serves as president of the Ambulatory Surgery Foundation. The Foundation is the largest publisher of ASC-specific publications, provides a variety of educational programming and conducts and contracts for research on ASC topics.