New Jersey Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers President Jeff Shanton said a report by The Record and NorthJersey.com misrepresents ASCs and the quality of care they provide by using anecdotal information and allegations from ongoing lawsuits. Here are four insights.
1. Mr. Shanton's letter published on NorthJersey.com said the article failed to contextualize adverse events at ASCs by not evaluating hospitals or other healthcare facilities.
2. While expressing deep regret for any adverse event that takes place in an ASC, Mr. Shanton said the number of adverse events occurring at ASCs relative to other care settings is extraordinarily small.
"Had your writer made that comparison, she would have been compelled to conclude that ASCs operate under the same level of regulation, follow the same protocols and employ the same highly qualified professionals and most importantly, provide high-quality outcomes for patients that match or exceed those achievements in hospital outpatient departments," Mr. Shanton wrote.
3. Mr. Shanton highlighted surgery centers' efforts to maintain safe care settings and provide high quality care. He pointed out the New Jersey Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers' efforts in advocating for the passage oflegislation requiring all ASCs in the state to be licensed by the New Jersey Department of Health. The legislation passed on Jan. 15.
4. At the beginning of March, Ambulatory Surgery Center Association CEO William Prentice criticized a similar article by Kaiser Health News and USA Today, calling the reporting "a terrible disservice" to the media organizations' readers.
