ASC News Roundup for October 2014

Top ASC news from Madison Medical Construction: Ambulatory surgery centers (ASC’s) that made the state record, new AMA guidelines, and Medicare stances towards surgeons who conduct procedures; these are some of the latest newsflash items that may affect your surgery center, imaging center, or other medical office.

ASC’s in the news

Listed are some newsworthy items that occurred in the ASC world last month. Kennedy Health System has approved new medical construction and renovation for its Kennedy University Hospital, and will be adding a new ASC. Healthcare real estate company Physicians Realty Trust purchased a 15,662-square-foot surgery center, Baylor Surgicare, for 8.50 million dollars, in a joint venture with United Surgical Partners International. In Long Beach, California, Peter Kurzweil, MD of the Surgery Center of Long Beach coauthored a research piece on meniscus surgical procedures. In Rochester, New York, Laser Eye Center’s Eyes on Our Heroes program donated three LASIK surgeries to winning participants. Kaiser Permanente, based in Oakland, California, received a 3-year accreditation for their ambulatory surgery center in Wailuku, Hawaii, making their ASC the only surgery center in Maui that holds the certification from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.

October 6: AMA new fact sheet comes in effect

Last month, the American Medical Association (AMA) published a new PDF file resource that helps ASC physicians comply with recent federal guidelines regarding hydrocodone prescription. The new Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulations come into effect on October 6, 2014, requiring all hydrocodone combination products (HCPs) to be classified as Controlled Substance Schedule II. Download the AMA fact sheet for more information.

Is Medicare biased towards surgeons and ASC’s?

Many in the healthcare industry believe that Medicare doles out more money to ambulatory surgery center physicians over doctors who don’t perform surgical procedures. However, recently released data suggest that this is not the case. According to a University of Michigan Medical School investigation of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, doctors who perform surgeries receive exactly as much reimbursement per hour as physicians who see patients in their office.  Which isn’t to say that there isn’t a wealth gap- just that Medicare and the RUC aren’t to blame. So, why do surgeons tend to be more affluent than non-surgery physicians? Very likely because of differing workloads, alternative incomes, and consulting or administrative opportunities.

ASC’s offering bundled payment options

In a smart move to widen their net of patient patrons, many ASC’s are choosing to offer bundled payment specials for certain surgical procedures. The Orthopedic Surgery Center of Orange County in Newport Beach, California now offers the new billing model to cash-paying patients and employers partaking in third-party medical tourism, including a 90-day warranty at their affiliate, the Hoag Orthopedic Institute. How Madison Medical Construction help your ASC? Improve patient satisfaction and boost productivity by renovating your medical space or beginning new construction. Image by nuttakit