First, Mr. Gary laid out the various challenges facing ASCs today. For instance, the number of physicians interested in joining ASCs has fallen in recent years, and so has the number of physicians in general in the U.S. “There are fewer physicians available, [it’s] a significant factor when it comes to our industry,” he said.
Mr. Gary also noted reimbursement changes in the industry, with hospitals increasing their efforts to limit ASCs’ out of network strategy capabilities. “Out of network as a viable strategy has been challenged,” he said, noting that having an out of network strategy is “absolutely essential” for ASCs.
After Mr. Gary laid out the issues facing the ASC community, Mr. Prentice shared what ASCA is doing to coordinate efforts to solve those problems. The following are some of the main initiatives Mr. Prentice shared.
Legislation. ASCA helped introduce the ASC Quality and Access Act of 2013 with 47 co-sponsors this year. “We’ve worked really hard to try to develop relationships on both sides of the aisle,” Mr. Prentice said.
The proposed bill would do a number of things to benefit ASCs, including transition reimbursement for ASCs from the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers to being based on the same reimbursement scale as hospitals, Mr. Prentice explained. It would also introduce value-based purchasing for ASCs, among other changes.
AHRQ initiative. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reached out to ASCA as a partner to develop and implement a culture of safety tool and safe surgery checklist for ASCs. “It provides us a wonderful opportunity to show…stakeholders the high quality care that’s being provided,” Mr. Prentice said. “It’s going to be really helpful to us in terms of being able to promote the high quality care that exists in ASCS.”
Benchmarking. ASCA now has a new, online benchmarking tool that improves upon its previous, paper-based tool. It is currently focused on clinical and operational benchmarks, and ASCA is looking to add salary and financial benchmarks as well. More than 700 centers signed up for the tool so far, according to Mr. Prentice.
CMMI grant application. ASCA submitted a grant to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation for a project demonstration that ASCs can safely perform total joint and spine procedures on Medicare beneficiaries. If the association is awarded the grant, it can start a multiyear project to prove to CMS those procedures can be done safely for Medicare patients in ASCs. “If we are [awarded the grant], it will provide a wonderful opportunity to broaden the number of procedures you all can perform,” Mr. Prentice said.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
