Melissa Hermanson, DNP, RN, administrator of Vineland, N.J.-based Ambulatory Care Center, is Becker's ASC Administrator of the Week.
Dr. Hermanson has held the role of administrator at Ambulatory Care Center for more than 12 years, according to her Linkedin page. She also serves as a board member of the New Jersey Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers, a position she has held since October 2021, and as a surveyor for the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care for more than one year.
Dr. Hermanson recently joined Becker's to discuss how publicly insured patients are affecting ASCs and how to navigate the threat declining reimbursement poses to independent facilities.
"It's frustrating that the restraint is on the part of the payer and what they're willing to reimburse," Dr. Hermanson told Becker's. "Why are we advocating so hard for the patients when the payers aren't trying to protect them at the same time? That's what's really frustrating, especially because so many of our patients are kids and we really want them to get the care that they need. But if you're not savvy to how the contract negotiations go — and I think that a lot of people really aren't, because I think there's a misconception that you can't negotiate with Medicaid payers — that you're kind of stuck with what you get. But the reality is that you do have some leverage there."