February 2011 Issue of Becker's ASC Review

10 Key Trends for Surgery Centers in 2011

1. Continued decline in ASC volume. The decline in overall volume of ambulatory surgery center cases will not be as steep as in 2010, when volume fell by an estimated 5 percent, says Andrew Hayek, president and CEO of Surgical Care Affiliates. Click to continue »

ASC Transactions and Pricing During 2010: 4 Key Concepts

2010 saw a significant increase over 2009 in surgery center transactions. Click to continue »

50 New ASCs Opened in 2010

Here are reports on 50 new surgery centers which opened in 2010, organized alphabetically by state. Click to continue »

Publisher’s Letter: February

15 Questions for 2011; 9th Annual Orthopedic, Spine and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference (June 9-11, Chicago) – 101 Sessions and 134 Speakers Click to continue »

New Head of ASC Association William Prentice Shares Thoughts on the Industry

William Prentice, a seasoned healthcare lobbyist in Washington, became executive director of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association in Oct. 2010. Click to continue »

5 Ways to Increase Surgery Center Distributions in 2011

Here are five ways physician-investors can increase their ambulatory surgery center distributions in 2011. Click to continue »

MedPAC Calls for 0.5% Pay Rise, New Reporting for ASCs; 1 Percent Pay Hike for Physicians

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is asking Congress to provide a 0.5 percent increase in payments for ambulatory surgery centers and require them to report cost and quality data in fiscal year 2012, according to a report by AHA News Now. Click to continue »

NovaMed to Be Acquired by Surgery Partners, Go Private

NovaMed has announced it will be acquired by Surgery Partners, an affiliate of Surgery Center Holdings, for about $109 million. Click to continue »

Irving Place Capital to Acquire National Surgical Hospitals

Irving Place Capital, a middle-market private equity firm, has announced it will acquire National Surgical Hospitals, an owner and operator of 14 surgical hospitals and seven ambulatory surgery centers located in 10 states. Click to continue »

10 Factors Affecting an ASC’s Sales Price

Jeff Simmons, chief development officer at Regent Surgical Health, an ASC developer and manager, discusses 10 factors that influence a center's sales price. Click to continue »

Analysis of ASC Data Suggests a Mature ASC Market

Those that have been involved with this industry in recent years have heard a common theory proclaiming the ASC market as a mature industry. Click to continue »

8 Insights Into Successful Hospital-ASC Joint Ventures

Christian D. Ellison, vice president of business development at Health Inventures in Broomfield, Colo., provides eight insights for successful joint ventures between hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. Click to continue »

10 Things to Know About Co-Management Relationships in Conversions of ASCs to HOPDs

When hospitals purchase ASCs from physician-owners and convert them into hospital outpatient departments, they may also set up co-management arrangements with former physician-owners. Click to continue »

8 Factors That Make Your ASC Risky for Buyers

Vincent Kickirillo, a partner at valuation firm VMG Health in Dallas, identifies eight factors that make your ASC risky at time of sale. Click to continue »

4 Mistakes That Cause Surgery Centers to Fail

Rob Murphy, founder and CEO of Murphy Healthcare Group and founder of ASC Turnaround Group, discusses four critical mistakes that spell failure for an ambulatory surgery center. Click to continue »

Owning a Surgery Center: The Best Investment I Will Ever Make

Like a lot of younger surgeons, I considered it a very big decision when presented with the opportunity to invest in an ASC. Click to continue »

CMS Adjusts 2011 Medicare Conversion Factor for Physician Fees

Even though Congress approved a zero percent update for Medicare physician fees in 2011, the CMS calculation for the 2011 conversion factor represents a 7.8554 percent cut, according to a report by the Idaho Medical Association. Click to continue »

3 Common Complaints From ASC Physicians — And How to Avoid Them

Augusto Alinea, MD, medical director of the Ambulatory Surgery Center of Stevens Point, discusses three common physician complaints and how to approach them. Click to continue »

Surgery Center Benchmark for Waiting Room Times: Q&A With Ann Geier and Susan Kizirian of ASCOA

Ann Geier, MS, RN, CNOR, CASC is senior vice president of operations and Susan Kizirian is chief operating officer for ASCOA. Click to continue »

Nevada Surgery Centers See Nearly 300% Increase in Inspection Fees

Nevada legislators have passed a regulation which will increase ambulatory surgery center licensing fees almost 300 percent to help cover the cost of mandated facility inspections, according to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Click to continue »

4 Ways Anesthesia Provision Will Change in the Next Five Years

Jerry A. Cohen, MD, president-elect of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, discusses four ways the role of anesthesiologists will change over the next five years. Click to continue »

5 Opportunities for Gastroenterologists in 2011

2011 will be a year of change and opportunity for GI physicians. Click to continue »

AMA Clarifies Fluoroscopy Coding Guidance

Nov. 2010's CPT Assistant article states that fluoroscopy is inclusive to ESI codes and that it should not be reported: "For certain procedures, fluoroscopy is considered inclusive of the procedure (e.g., 22526, 22527, 62263, 64467, 62270-62282, 62310-62319) and not separately reportable." Click to continue »