Myriad changes are coming to the ASC industry, according to SimplifyASC's David Howerton, who attended the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association conference, which took place May 15-18 in Nashville, Tenn.
Three changes discussed at the conference:
1. Bundled payments. With CMS spearheading its bundled care payment initiative, bundled payments are top of mind for ASCs. Bundled payments present an opportunity for ASCs to switch to a new payment system.
2. Total joint replacements. With more total joint procedures migrating to the outpatient setting, ASCs are preparing to take on more cases due to advances in minimally invasive techniques and anesthesia.
3. ASC quality reporting. Despite the large number of reports ASCs must generate and send to CMS and other entities, some ASC administrators are hesitant to make the switch from paper charts to electronic ones.