In the latest ASC news review from Becker’s Healthcare, experts make the following predictions for ambulatory surgery centers (ASC’s) in 2015.
ASC news for 2015
Here’s a breakdown of this report for ASC administrators:
1) Though ASC construction has been on the rise over the years, the number seems to be evening out. Instead, more surgery centers are planning joint ventures with other medical centers and hospitals. It’s a win-win for hospitals who want to provide their patients with local, low-key options and for ASC’s who rely on that partnership for patient flow and recognition in the medical community.
2) Many young doctors are contracting their services with large hospitals straight from medical school, and that number is rising. If you manage an ASC, then should concentrate on reaching out to physicians in training before they commit to working in a corporate healthcare industry.
3) ASC news for next year will see more surgery centers admitting patients for high acuity cases that require minimally invasive medical surgery, such as spine surgery, joint replacement, and cardiology. Procedures that typically required hospital admittance can now be performed on an outpatient basis at a local ASC.
4) With the growth of the primary care model in hospitals, many surgeons are noticing an increasing inflexibility in their ability to decide where to perform their surgeries, finding a conflict of interest with their referral system. To combat this issue, ASC managers may need to modify their schedules and make some overall staff adjustments.
5) Expect insurance deductibles to increase in the coming year, and plan a strategy to collect payment from patients who are paying largely from their own pocket for procedures such as orthopedic surgery or laser eye treatment. To prevent fiscal loss, ASC’s should focus on fine-tuning their medical billing system and data management. Many are offering bundled payments.
What other ASC news trends can you contribute? Please feel free to comment below.Image by stockimages
