10 Things to Know About the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association

Ellie Rizzo -

The following are 10 Things to know about the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.

1. The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association is the nation's largest ASC association and the only national association that represents ASCs of every specialty.

2. ASCA works year-round to promote and protect the interests of all ASCs in policymaking offices in Washington, D.C., and across the country. Each May, it holds an annual conference, the largest ASC conference in the industry. ASCA 2014 will be held May 14-17 in Nashville, Tenn.

"ASC advocacy is one of our highest priorities,” says ASCA Board President Nap Gary, JD. “We work with members of Congress, Medicare officials, national regulatory bodies, state policymakers, insurance providers, professional societies, standard-setting organizations and many others to make sure that ASCs are represented when decisions affecting the cost and quality of the care we provide, and patient access to that care, are being addressed.

3. ASCA supports ASCs in providing the highest quality of patient care and adopting operational efficiencies that help improve business operations and long-term strategic planning.

“ASCA’s in-person programs and online and print resources give ASC professionals the opportunity to connect with top experts in the industry, tap into best practices and stay on top of the latest developments in outpatient surgical care and ASC management,” says ASCA Chief Executive Officer William Prentice, JD. “Whether the topic is quality reporting, new procedures moving into ASCs for the first time, electronic health records or the effects of health care reform or billing and collections, ASCA connects ASC professionals with what they need to know.”

4. ASCA offers a state-of-the-art clinical and operational benchmarking program — ASCA Benchmarking — that allows individual ASCs to compare their performance statistics on clinical outcomes, staff indicators, billing performance and more to both national and specialty-specific statistics.  

5. ASCAPAC is ASCA's nonpartisan political action committee and a critical component of ASCA's advocacy campaign. Having champions in Congress to fight for ASCs is crucial to the future of the industry, according to ASCA. ASCAPAC supports these champions so that they can continue to speak for ASCs on Capitol Hill. ASCA consultant Rob Schwartz will lead a fundraising event for ASCAPAC on June 13, 2014, in conjunction with the 12th Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference sponsored by Becker's ASC Review. Find out more about ways you can participate in ASCAPAC at www.ascapac.org.

6. ASCA sponsors a Capitol Fly-In Program that brings ASC professionals to Washington, D.C., to connect face-to-face with members of Congress and their staff. There is still time to sign up to participate in 2014. For information, contact Jack Coleman at jcoleman@ascassociation.org.

7. ASCA members have access to an exclusive, members-only online networking community known as ASCA Connect. Participants share information and resources, ask and answer questions and find real-world solutions to the everyday challenges they face.

8. ASCA's professional development resources include an annual webinar series, an annual ASC coding seminar, an online resource library and regular e-briefings on breaking news and emerging trends in the industry. ASCA is currently working on adding a fall clinical conference and an online staff training series that ASCs can use to orient new staff, help assess staff competency and achieve top outcomes in their clinical and business operations.

9. ASCA's Career Center connects job seekers and employers in the ASC community to a national health care network and helps users find the qualified staff and job openings they need.

10. ASCA offers ASCs joining the association for the first time a special rate. For information, contact Mykal Cox at mcox@ascassociation.org or call 703.836.8808.

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