Here are seven updates for ASC leaders to know for April 19, 2018.
The Joint Commission proposes new pain standards with emphasis on opioid safety
The Joint Commission proposed new standards for pain assessment and management in ambulatory settings and office-based surgery settings. The new standards for both were designed to make safe opioid prescribing an "organizational priority" and ensure that organizations minimize risks associated with pain treatment.
ASCA welcomes new board members, officers
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association made a series of officer and board appointments. ASCA members voted in four new officers, elected AmSurg Vice President of Corporate Services Mark Wainner to the board of directors, and re-elected several board members.
Amazon tabled its plan to sell drugs to hospitals — and ASCs might be a better bet
Amazon lacks the logistics infrastructure required to handle temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and struggled to get hospitals to change their purchasing processes. Because of these barriers, Amazon Business is focusing on selling less sensitive medical supplies to hospitals and smaller clinics. Settings such as dental offices, freestanding ASCs and small physician practices seem to be its most promising market entry points, for now.
Advanced Surgical Care of Boerne opens new ASC, completes 1st total joint replacement
Advanced Surgical Care of Boerne (Texas) opened a surgery center in Boerne and completed its first outpatient total joint replacement. Towson, Md.-based SurgCenter Development developed the center — its fifth in Texas — through the partnership.
Advantia acquires Women's Health and Surgery Center
Arlington, Va.-based Advantia Health acquired the Women's Health and Surgery Center, which has locations in Stafford, Va., and Fredericksburg, Va. Advantia now has a team of 98 providers serving 150,000 women across Maryland and Virginia.
Modio Health's physician credentialing technology receives top billing for ambulatory products
KLAS awarded Modio Health's provider credentialing software the top score among all other ambulatory competitors. Modio received several top ratings, including an 8.4 out of 9 rating for most likely to recommend and a 100 percent rating as a company that avoids "nickel-and-diming" its customers.
Tenet all in on outpatient shift
Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp. has sold nine hospitals since August. Meanwhile, the company has significantly increased its investment in ambulatory care centers — it owns 460 ambulatory care centers up, from 115 in 2012.