February 2017 Issue of Becker's ASC Review
On The Cover
ASC Leaders Share Their Top Goals for 2017
As the New Year rapidly approaches, ASC leaders share their top goals for 2017. Click here to continue.
What Will Happen to Bundled Payments During Donald Trump’s Presidency?
Medscape pointed out that Tom Price, MD, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to head the HHS, hasn't supported Medicare's initiatives on bundled payments in the past. Click here to continue.
50 Statistics on Physician Net Worth by Age
Here is the average net worth of physicians by age, according to the Medscape Physician Debt and Net Worth Report 2016. Click here to continue.
ASC Management
8 Key Thoughts on Best Practices for Outpatient Cervical Spine Surgery.
A panel of spine surgeons and clinicians published an article in Spine titled "Best Practices for Outpatient Anterior Cervical Surgery" to outline the best practices for selecting patients and performing cervical total disc replacement and fusion procedures in the ASC. Click here to continue.
ASCs Band Together to Form North Carolina Ambulatory Surgical Center Association
In North Carolina, community-based ASCs have teamed up to form the North Carolina Ambulatory Surgical Center Association. Click here to continue.
25 Specialties Where Physicians Report Financial Loss Due to Practice Issues
Here are the percentage of surgeons who have experienced loss due to practice issues per specialty, based on findings from the Medscape Physician Debt and Net Worth Report 2016. Click here to continue.
The 4 Secrets to Scaling Your Business
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” –Albert Einstein. Click here to continue.
4 Key Thoughts for Building Physician Leaders
Orlando-based Florida Hospital's Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mark Hertling, who leads a program for global partnership, leadership, development and health performance strategies at the hospital, penned an article on physician leadership for The Hill. Click here to continue.
25 Highest-Paid Healthcare Careers—Chief Executive Salary Hits $150k
St. Louis Post-Dispatch lays out the top-paying healthcare jobs based on BLS data that calculated the highest average annual salary from 2015. Click here to continue.
Judge Orders Federal Government to Pay Moda Health $214M in Risk-Corridor Lawsuit
The U.S. Court of Claims ruled on behalf of Portland, Ore.-based Moda Health, saying the federal government must pay Moda $214 million, Oregon Live reports. Click here to continue.
Orthopedic Section
16 Things to Know About Outpatient Total Joint Replacements and ASCs
Here are 16 things to know about outpatient total joint replacements and ambulatory surgery centers. Click here to continue.
5 Statistics on Orthopedic Net Revenue Per Case at ASCs
Here are five statistics on net revenue per case for orthopedic cases at surgery centers, according to the VMG Health 2016 Intellimarker Multi-Specialty ASC Study. Click here to continue.
Outpatient Rotator Cuff Repairs Increase 272% in a Decade—5 Facts on Orthopedics in ASCs
A recent article in Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons provided an overview of complications and adverse events associated with outpatient orthopedic surgery performed in an ambulatory surgery center. Click here to continue.
NYT: Surgeons Divided on Outpatient Total Knees for Medicare Patients, but Support to CMS Grows
The New York Times ran an article debating whether Medicare should allow beneficiaries to undergo total knee replacement in outpatient centers with surgeons representing both sides of the issue. Click here to continue.
Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Companies Launch Orthopedic Episode of Care Platform: 5 Things to Know
Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Companies launched their Orthopaedic Episode of Care Approach, an offering to help health systems and surgeons reduce costs and increase quality for value-based alternative care models in orthopedics. Click here to continue.
Medicare Episode Expenditures for Joint Replacement Decline 20.8% Following CJR: 5 Study Insights
A study in JAMA Internal Medicine investigated changes in internal hospital, quality and 30-day post-acute care spending following Medicare's mandatory Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement bundled payment model, or CJR. Click here to continue.
5 Key Notes on Quality Metrics for Total Joint Replacement Bundled Payments
A study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery examines quality metrics for total joint replacements. Click here to continue.
Vero Orthopaedics & Neurology Adds ASC: 4 Key Notes
Vero Orthopaedics & Neurology in Vero Beach, Fla., opened an ASC. Click here to continue.
Zimmer Biomet, J&J, Stryker & More: 15 Device Company Key Notes
Here are 15 key notes on orthopedic and spine device companies from the past week. Click here to continue.
53 Health Systems with the Most Hospitals
The following health systems contain the most short-term acute care hospitals in the United States. Click here to continue.
25 Statistics on EBITDA Margins for ASCs
The VMG Health 2016 Intellimarker Multi-Specialty ASC Study outlines an EBITDA margin analysis for ambulatory surgery centers. Click here to continue.
Gastroenterology
18 New GI/endoscopy Centers That Opened in 2016
Here are 18 new surgery centers that were opened or were announced throughout 2016. Click here to continue.
Korean Scientists Develop Artificial Liver for Human Transplants
A team of Korea-based Seoul National University and Kangwon National University scientists developed an artificial liver based on the pig liver for use in human transplants, the Korea Business Wire reports. Click here to continue.
BCBS Gives Cologuard Positive Review: 3 Key Notes
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association's Center for Clinical Effectiveness positively reviewed Madison, Wis.-based Exact Sciences' Cologuard, a fecal-based colonoscopy alternative. Click here to continue.
Could Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty be an Alternative to Bariatric Surgery?
According to a report published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty could be a viable alternative to bariatric surgery for some obese patients. Click here to continue.
Microbial Richness, Presence of Methangens Negatively Associated With IBS
A study in Gastroenterology sought to identify an intestinal microbiota profile associated with the severity of irritable bowel syndrome. Click here to continue.
50% of Gastroenterologists Feel Burnout—10 Takeaways
Medscape compiled its "2017 Gastroenterologist Lifestyle Report" survey finding that 50 percent of gastroenterologists report feeling burned out. Click here to continue.
Joint Ventures
5 Hospitals, Health Systems Opening or Planning ASCs
Here are five hospitals and health systems that have opened or announced plans for ASCs. Click here to continue.
SC Health Department Denies Medical University of South Carolina’s CON Application for ASC
The South Carolina health department denied Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina's certificate-of-need application to build a freestanding ASC, according to The Post and Courier. Click here to continue.
Medicare Overpays 5 Health Plans by $128M in 2007; Only Recovers $3.4M
In 2011, federal officials thought auditing private Medicare Advantage insurance plans that were allegedly overcharging the government for medical services would reap big savings for taxpayers. Click here to continue.
SCA Builds on Advocate Health Care Partnership With Midwest Center Day Surgery Partnership, Midwest Surgical Management Group Acquisition
Deerfield, Ill.-based Surgical Care Affiliates partnered with Downers Grove, Ill.-based Midwest Center for Day Surgery and acquired Illinois-based Midwest Surgical Management Group. Click here to continue.
Novant Health, Local Physicians Face Off for CON
Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health and a group of physicians both filed a certificate-of-need application to add a new operating room in Leland, N.C. Click here to continue.
Coding and Billing
The CORE Institute’s Condition-based Bundles—A New Approach to Eliminating Waste.
The Harvard Business Review profiled Phoenix-based The CORE Institute's new condition-based approach to eliminating unnecessary care as an alternative to procedure-based bundled payments. Click here to continue.
20 Staffing Statistics for ASCs.
Here are 20 statistics on full time employee staffing for ambulatory surgery centers from VMG Health's 2016 Intellimarker Multi-Specialty ASC Study. Click here to continue.
5 Hospitals, Health Systems Opening or Planning ASCs
Here are five hospitals and health systems that have opened or announced plans for ASCs. Click here to continue.
Healthcare Uncertainty May Yield Major Premium Increases
The nation's policy makers are debating the best course of action for the ACA, leaving many payers unsure of how to proceed. Kaiser Health News reports this uncertainty may likely cause many payers to increase their rates to avoid major losses. Click here to continue.
Cigna Terminates Deal With Anthem; Anthem Says Move ‘invalid’
Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna is terminating its proposed merger agreement with Indianapolis-based Anthem. Click here to continue.
Aetna, Humana Forgo Deal Following Judge’s Ruling: 4 Takeaways
In a mutual decision, Aetna and Humana opted to end their merger agreement after Judge John Bates of the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the Department of Justice and blocked the deal. Click here to continue.
Quality and Accreditation
VA’s HAI Campaign Yields Positive Results: HAI Rates Fell 87% in ICUs
The Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans Health Administration is seeing positive results from its campaign to reduce healthcare-associated infections of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, according to a study published in American Journal of Infection Control. Click here to continue.
CMS Launches 2 New Patient Engagement Models
On Dec. 8, 2016, CMS' Innovation Center unveiled two patient engagement models, the Shared Decision Making Model and Direct Decision Support Model, according to Healthcare DIVE. Click here to continue.
5 Takeaways on the Global Infection Control Market
A Persistence Market Research report analyzes the key trends fueling the global infection control market growth, according to medGadget. Click here to continue.
Patient Body Left in Shower for 9+ Hours at Florida VA Hospital, Report Finds
A body was left in a shower for more than nine hours at the Bay Pines (Fla.) VA Healthcare System after the veteran died in February in the Bay Pines hospice unit, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Click here to continue.
4.6% of Patients Under General Anesthesia May Remain Conscious: 3 Study Insights
A study in Anesthesiology investigated the incidence of patient consciousness after undergoing general anesthesia. Click here to continue.
5 Strategies for RNs to Reduce Medication Errors
Researchers identified the most common drugs associated with medication errors among registered nurses and defined key strategies to reduce ME incidents, according to Medscape. Click here to continue.
CDC Director: Zika Threat Remains Active—5 Things to Know
CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, said Zika is still a large threat and people should not forgo protective measures against the infection, according to STAT. Click here to continue.
6 Top Advocacy Issues for APIC in 2017
The Association for Professional Infection Control and Epidemiology released its "Voice for Infection Prevention: Public Policy Agenda" outline the organization's key advocacy focus for 2017. Click here to continue.
Healthcare News
Trump Meets With Leaders of Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Partners and Cleveland Clinic
President-elect Donald Trump met with a group of health system CEOs Wednesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. Click here to continue.
Top 10 Paying US Jobs—Anesthesiologists Take the Lead at $335k
CNN Money lists the following 10 highest-paying jobs based on median salary. Click here to continue.
UMass Memorial Points to Epic Implementation for Drop in Operating Income
Worchester, Mass.-based UMass Memorial Health Care saw revenue increase in fiscal year 2016, but the system said costs associated with implementing an Epic EHR system dragged down operating income. Click here to continue.
The 5 Healthiest and Unhealthiest States in America
Although Americans made substantial improvements on some key health indicators in the past year, the country still faces significant health challenges, according to United Health Foundation's 27th annual America's Health Rankings. Click here to continue.
UHS Stock Tumbles 12% After BuzzFeed Investigative Report
Shares of King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services fell 12 percent to $111.30 Wednesday after BuzzFeed published an investigative story alleging the company's psychiatric hospitals put profits ahead of patients, according to Barron's. Click here to continue.
Surgeons Rank as #1 Highest-Paying Job in These 16 States
Throughout the nation, anesthesiologists rank as the highest-paid job with surgeons trailing closely behind with an average annual salary of $247,520. Click here to continue.
5 Healthcare Technology Trends Taking Center Stage in 2017
San Mateo, Calif.-based PokitDok predicted technology trends that will impact the healthcare industry in 2017. Click here to continue.
Patient Shot After Opening Fire in Houston Hospital
An off-duty sheriff's deputy working security at North Cypress Medical Center in Houston shot a patient who opened fire inside the hospital Tuesday morning. Click here to continue.
Where Are CMS’ New Overall 5-Star Hospitals?
When CMS updated the formula used in its Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating program in December, the number of hospitals that received the highest possible overall rating fell from 112 in October to 83 in December. Click here to continue.
CHS on Track to Overcome Financial Troubles, Says CEO
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems CEO Wayne Smith has a positive outlook on the company's future, despite a rocky 2016. Click here to continue.
Surgical Care Affiliates, OptumCare to Merge—6 Key Points
Deerfield, Ill.-based Surgical Care Affiliates is merging with Optum, a health services company and part of UnitedHealth Group. Click here to continue.