February 2012 Issue of Becker's ASC Review

10 Predictions on ASC Merger & Acquisition Activity in 2012

Joe Clark, EVP and CDO for Surgical Care Affiliates, Aaron Murski, senior manager with VMG Health, and Luke Lambert, CEO of ASCOA, discuss their thoughts on ambulatory surgery center merger and acquisition activity over the next year. Click to continue »

10 Top Concerns for Surgery Center Administrators in 2012

Here are 12 ways ambulatory surgery center leaders plan to improve the experience of their ASC physicians in 2012. Click to continue »

Looking Ahead: 6 Thoughts From Physicians on the Future of ASCs

Last year, average case volume, revenue per case and staff and physician salaries increased, according to VMG Health's Multi-Specialty ASC Intellimarker 2011 when compared to 2010. Click to continue »

28 Pain Management-Driven ASCs to Know

This is a list of pain management-driven surgery centers researched and compiled by the Becker's ASC Review editorial staff. Click to continue »

Valuing an Out of Network Center in 2012: Thoughts From VMG Health's Kevin McDonough

Since the recession started affecting patient finances and ASC budgets in 2008, healthcare facilities have struggled to cut costs, increase case volume and negotiate payor contracts that won't sap their profitability. Click to continue »

Surviving on a High Percentage of Medicare: 8 Thoughts From Health Inventures' Dana Folstrom

Mirage Endoscopy Center, a joint venture between physicians and Eisenhower Medical Center managed by Health Inventures, sits in the Coachella Valley in Rancho Mirage, Calif., a warm, sunny area flooded with retirees. Click to continue »

What Percentage of Your Surgery Center Should You Sell?

Once physician-owners decide to sell a surgery center, they must decide on what percentage of the center to sell. Click to continue »

Selling Your Surgery Center? Physicians Alliance Surgery Center's Journey to a "Very Attractive" Offer

Earlier this year, the 16 physician owners of Physicians Alliance Surgery Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo., embarked on a journey to find a partner for their four-operating room ambulatory surgery center. Click to continue »

How Hospital Employment Will Affect ASC Physicians in 2012

When asked about their primary concern for the ASC industry in 2012, Greg Horner, MD, managing partner of Smithfield Surgical Partners doesn’t miss a beat: "The hospital integration process," he says. Click to continue »

The Surgery Center Market: 5 Observations for 2012

We have several different observations as we look at the market for surgery centers this year. These are as follows: Click to continue »

28 ASC Joint Ventures Planned or Developed in 2011

Paul G. Faraclas. Mr. Faraclas is president and CEO of CTQ solutions. Prior to CTQ, he was vice president of ISH in Here are 28 joint ventures between physicians, surgery center management companies and/or hospitals during 2011, organized alphabetically by state. Click to continue »

5 Questions to Ask When Resyndicating Your Surgery Center

Robert Carrera, president of Pinnacle III, identifies five questions ambulatory surgery centers need to ask themselves when preparing to resyndicate to new investors. Click to continue »

How to Use Technology to Improve ASC Efficiency: Q&A With Scott McDade of McKesson Medical Surgical

Everyone wants to get more out of their increasingly limited resources we all face today. Click to continue »

Trends & Developments Shaping IT in Surgery Centers: Q&A With Scott Palmer of SourceMedical

Scott Palmer, president and COO of SourceMedical's surgery division, discusses the effect of information technology on ambulatory surgery centers. Click to continue »

5 Tips for Updating a GI Center's Technology

While implementing the latest technology can be a challenging and expensive procedure for ASCs, it's usually worth the investment because it can attract both patients and physicians to a center. Click to continue »

Automating Processes & Services in a Surgery Center: Q&A With Troy Clifton of Encircle Healthcare

Troy Clifton is vice president of sales and marketing for Encircle Healthcare, a provider of web-based automation and integration services for healthcare organizations. Click to continue »

When Does Surgery Center Case Volume Peak & Valley?: A Statistical Analysis of 9 Common Specialties

n what month can ambulatory surgery centers expect to perform the most and least procedures? Click to continue »

11 Evolving Issues in Healthcare and Business

This article briefly discusses eleven different healthcare and business issues. Click to continue »

5 Business Lessons for ASC Physicians

Some physicians are astute when it comes to the business side of running an ambulatory surgery center, but for others, calculating return on investment and creating a marketing strategy takes them out of their comfort zones. Click to continue »

30 New Statistics on Surgery Center Staff Compensation

Here are 30 new statistics on ASC staff compensation, according to VMG Health's Multi-Specialty ASC Intellimarker 2011. Click to continue »

5 Trends Impacting Outpatient Spine in 2012: Thoughts From Dr. Thomas Schuler

Thomas Schuler, MD, spine surgeon and president and CEO of Virginia Spine Institute, discusses the outlook for outpatient spine surgery in the next few years. Click to continue »

5 CON Conflicts Over Proposed Surgery Centers in 2011

Building a surgery center is arguably more difficult than it was 10 years ago. Click to continue »

6 Points on Building an ASC Joint Venture With an Academic Medical Center

Regent Surgical Health recently entered into a joint-venture agreement with an academic medical center — a departure from the traditional three-way joint-venture model of an acute-care hospital, management company and physician group. Click to continue »

5 Ways to Save Money at GI Driven Surgery Centers

GI-driven surgery centers must run as well-oiled machines in order to turn a profit; due to reimbursement cuts for the specialty, efficiency is critical, and tactics that can decrease turnover times, speed up cases and decrease supply costs are essential to profitability. Click to continue »

Gastroenterology in 2012: Q&A With Dr. Glenn Littenberg of ASGE

Glenn Littenberg, MD, chair, ASGE Practice Management Committee, future recipient of ASGE’s Distinguished Service Award at Digestive Disease Week 2012 and gastroenterologist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., shares his thoughts on the future of gastroenterology. Click to continue »

Is Your Center Ready for Bariatric Patients? A Checklist From Drs. Scott Cunneen and Peter LePort

Bariatric procedures are more often being done in the ambulatory surgery setting. Click to continue »

Improving ASC Billing and Collections: 5 Critical Steps to Take Now

Michael Orseno, revenue cycle director for Regent Surgical Health, discusses five steps ambulatory surgery centers should take to improve their billing and collections efforts in the new year. Click to continue »

10 Frequently Asked Questions About ICD-10

Here are 10 frequently asked questions about ICD-10, based on information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. More information on ICD-10 from CMS can be accessed on the agency's website. Click to continue »

9 Supplies That Endanger Profitability for ASC Cases — and How To Reduce the Damage

Effectively managing a surgery center's supplies can cut costs and raise profits. Click to continue »

5 Changes for Outpatient Anesthesia in 2012: Thoughts From Dr. Gilbert Drozdow

Gilbert Drozdow, MD, MBA, is president of the anesthesiology division of Sheridan Healthcare, one of the nation's largest providers of hospital-based physician services, including over 1,200 anesthesiology providers and more than 800 providers in emergency medicine, radiology, neonatology and hospitalist services in 142 hospitals and outpatient facilities in 21 states. Click to continue »

5 Essential Skills for Surgery Center Anesthesiologists From Dr. Thomas Wherry

Providing anesthesia in a surgery center is different from practicing in the hospital setting, due to a different patient mix, environment and average case acuity. Click to continue »

8 Steps to Increase Orthopedic Case Volume at an ASC

Orthopedic case volume is a high priority for surgery centers, as orthopedic cases can deliver a sizable profit and competition is high among ASCs and hospitals for surgeons. Click to continue »