January/February 2012 Issue of Becker's ASC Review

10 Top Concerns for ASC Physicians

Low reimbursement, low volume, increasing physician employment, increasing regulatory requirements, increasing staff shortages, increasing market saturation: These are only a few of the issues affecting ambulatory surgery centers at the moment. Click to continue »

12 Ways to Improve Physicians’ ASC Experience in 2012

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

40 of the Most Powerful People in Healthcare

As some states challenge the Affordable Care Act in court, others are pushing implementation of regulations under the federal reform law. The healthcare industry in 2011 is a fragmented and fascinating place. Click to continue »

Publisher's Letter

Here are five core concepts for healthcare providers this year, as well as observations on key healthcare delivery trends during 2011. Click to continue »

Achieving Record Profits Every Year During the Recession: 8 Steps From Gateway Surgery Center Administrator Craig Bryan

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 »

How Does Your Surgery Center Measure Up: Same Center Performance Trends

The following article is written by Kevin McDonough, CFA, Senior Manager, and Colin Park, Senior Analyst, of VMG Health. Click to continue »

10 Steps to Maintain Control of an ASC’s Central Supply Area

An ambulatory surgery center is always looking for ways to control and reduce its costs and central supply is one area that should be monitored carefully. Click to continue »

Average Revenue Per Case for Common ASC Specialties: 20 Benchmarking Statistics

Here are 20 benchmarking statistics about revenue per case — broken down by average (statistical mean) gross charges and net revenue — for common specialties in ambulatory surgery centers, based on data from VMG Health's Multi-Specialty ASC Intellimarker 2011. Note: Specialties are listed in alphabetical order. Click to continue »

10 Trends in ASC Payor Reimbursement & Contracting for 2012

Reimbursement trends can impact surgery centers significantly, depending on their specialty mix and their dependence on particular payors. Click to continue »

7 Goals for ICD-10 Preparation for the Next Six Months

The official start date for ICD-10 isn't until Oct. 1, 2013, but that doesn't mean surgery centers should delay the implementation process. Click to continue »

350 People in the ASC Industry to Know

Paul G. Faraclas. Mr. Faraclas is president and CEO of CTQ solutions. Prior to CTQ, he was vice president of ISH in Fairfield, N.J., for four years, where he helped grow the practice into the nation's largest acute care consulting firm. Click to continue »

Lessons From 35 Years in the ASC Industry: Q&A With Cypress Surgery Center Cofounder and Administrator Judy Graham

Judy Graham, the administrator and cofounder of Cypress Surgery Center in Wichita, Kan., stepped down in late November after 35 years in the ambulatory surgery center industry. Click to continue »

s10 Steps to Add a Gastric Lap-Banding Service Line to a Surgery Center

In 2008, North Star Surgical Center in Lubbock, Texas, added a gastric lap-banding service line to its cadre of procedures. Click to continue »

15 New Benchmarks on ASC Administrator Compensation

Here are 15 new statistics on ASC administrator salary, based on data from VMG Health's Multi-Specialty ASC Intellimarker 2011. Click to continue »

10 Ways to Improve Profitability for Pain Management

Pain management is a specialty in flux. Not only are more chronic pain sufferers seeking out treatment, but the release of a recent Center for Disease Control report, which found more people die from prescription drug overdoses than heroin and cocaine combined, has created a backlash over opioid prescriptions and a call for alternative treatments. Click to continue »

5 Points on Physician Involvement in the ASC Supply Chain

Supplies are often a large element of a surgery center's budget and one of the easiest areas to save money without sacrificing quality. Click to continue »

10 Things to Expect From an ASC Anesthesia Provider

Meena Desai, MD, managing partner of Nova Anesthesia Professionals, discusses what to expect from an anesthesia provider in an ambulatory surgery center — and how to evaluate performance on an ongoing basis. Click to continue »

10 Questions to Ask When Setting ASC Administrator Compensation

Surgery center staffing costs are a significant part of an ASC budget, and ASC administrators are generally the highest-paid staff member in a center. Click to continue »

7 Steps to Turn Quality Data Into a Useful, Compliant Improvement Study

So you have a great idea for a quality study. You identify the problem or opportunity — it is meaningful and measurable. You take the time collect great data. But now what do you do with it? Click to continue »

10 Ideas for ASC Quality Improvement Studies

Jan Davidson, RN, MSN, is the AORN perioperative education specialist focusing on ambulatory surgery centers. Here she shares 10 ideas for quality improvement studies in a surgery center. Click to continue »