June 2010 Special Issue of Becker's ASC Review

10 Key Legal Issues Facing Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Between healthcare reform, increased enforcement under the Anti-Kickback Statute, less patience on the part of physician leaders for underperforming surgery centers and increased pressure from payors on out-of-network arrangements ... Click to continue »

13 Major Changes Facing ASCs

Brent W. Lambert, MD, president and owner of Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America, discusses 13 changes for ASCs in the next few years ... Click to continue »

A Review of OIG Self Referral and Antikickback Cases: 5 Categories of Non-compliant Physician Relationships and 8 Recent Cases

From 2001-2010, there were nearly 100 different HHS' Office of Inspector General physician self referral and kickback settlements. In just the last two years (2008-2010) there were more than 20 such settlements ... Click to continue »

Publisher’s Letter: June 2010

Improvements at ASC Communications; Tucker Carlson and Bobby Knight to Speak at October Conference (Oct. 21-23; Chicago); New Channels Added to Sites ... Click to continue »

Is the AMA the Worst Trade Association Ever?

The American Medical Association has been in existence for 162 years now, making it the oldest trade association in the nation, but this organization doesn't have a clue anymore as to what a trade association is about ... Click to continue »

4 Initiatives That Doubled Physician Distributions

The Upper Cumberland Physicians Surgery Center grew distributions by 125 percent in 2009. This significant distribution growth was the result of accomplishing several strategic initiatives. 1. Increase ... Click to continue »

72-Hour Recovery Center Greatly Expands the Scope of an ASC

An overnight recovery area opens a whole new world for ASCs looking to build volume with a wider array of procedures, says Joseph Banno, MD, a urologist and founder of the Peoria (Ill.) Day Surgery Center, ... Click to continue »

ASC Sees Annual Returns of 300% and 750%: Q&A With Dr. Joseph Stapleton

Joseph Stapleton, MD, is an anesthesiologist, pain physician and a partner at East Portland Surgical Center in Happy Valley, OR ... Click to continue »

ASC Association President Kathy Bryant Discusses Healthcare Reform’s Impact on ASCs

Kathy Bryant, president of the ASC Association, discusses the impact of recently passed healthcare reform on ASCs ... Click to continue »

7 Statistics ASCs Should Look at Every Month

1. Case volume. Monthly case volume is a good indicator of an ASC's performance; however, there are a few things to consider when looking at this figure. Brian Brown, regional vice president of operations ... Click to continue »

Co-Management Relationships of HOPDs: 5 Things Your ASC and Hospital Should Consider Plus Legal Commentary and Key Concerns

Many hospitals are looking to buy up ASCs from physician-owners and convert them into hospital outpatient departments that command higher reimbursements than ASCs ... Click to continue »

4 Ways to Ensure Profitability When Adding Procedures

In a tenuous economy with declining reimbursements, many ASCs are simply hunkering down to see how the healthcare reform landscape will shape up before making any bold moves ... Click to continue »

The “Co-Managed” Hospital-Owned ASC: An Alternative Partnership Model

Over the past few years, there has been a growing trends of ASCs being operated as HOPDs. As we move through 2010, this trend toward HOPD ASCs continues ... Click to continue »

5 Tips to Increasing ASC Value Before A Sale

Here are five tips for physician owners to increase the value of a surgery center before a sale, according to Jon Vick, president, ASCs, Inc. 1. Know your goals. Physician owners should first meet to ... Click to continue »

6 Key Practices for Growing Volume and Profits

Bayou Region Surgical Center, in Thibodaux, La., is a multispecialty ASC that operates as a 50-50 partnership between physician investors and a subsidiary of the local community hospital, Thibodaux Regional Medical Center ... Click to continue »

3 Common ASC Physician Recruitment Mistakes

Sarah Martin, regional vice president of operations of Meridian Surgical Partners, shares three mistakes ASCs often make when trying to recruit physicians to their ASC. 1. Not including center management ... Click to continue »