July, August 2017 Issue of Becker's ASC Review
On the Cover
Net Revenue for 11 Common ASC Specialties — Orthopedics No. 1 with $3.1k
The VMG Health’s Multi-Specialty ASC Intellimarker 2017 compiled the median net revenue per case in ASCs by specialty. Click here to continue.
Physician-Owned Hospital Bill Introduced in Senate: 5 Things to Know
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., introduced legislation in the Senate to improve access to physician led hospitals, called the Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2017. Click here to continue.
5 Best Practices for Spine Surgery in ASCs
A team of spine specialists used a Delphi panel to identify best practices for outpatient anterior cervical spine surgery. Click here to continue.
Executive Briefings in this Issue
Solutions For Every Setting—Gastroenterologist Dr. Michael DiMarino on the gMed™ Suite
Five years ago, Michael DiMarino, MD, of Woodbury, N.J.-based DiMarino-Kroop-Prieto Gastrointestinal Associates, began using gMed’s products. Click here to continue.
Avoiding 10 Common Billing Mistakes that Slow the ASC Revenue Cycle
Effective revenue cycle management is the most important factor in maintaining the financial health of an ambulatory surgery center. Click here to continue.
ASC Management
27 Statistics on Specialist Net Worth Exceeding $2M
Orthopedics ranks as the top specialty with the greatest number of providers with net worth equal to or exceeding $2 million, according to Medscape's "Physician Wealth and Debt Report 2017.". Click here to continue.
Average Income for Top 20 Recruited Specialties: No. 1 Specialty Makes $579k
The following 20 specialties feature the most highly recruited physicians, according to Merritt Hawkins 2017 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Incentives. Click here to continue.
The Importance of Relationships in the ASC Industry
Technology is remaking healthcare. Click here to continue.
Joint Ventures
Physician-Owned Hospital Bill Introduced in Senate: 5 Things to Know
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., introduced legislation in the Senate to improve access to physician-led hospitals. Click here to continue.
North Carolina Hospital Executives Speak Out After CON Repeal Bill Passes State Senate
Here are seven updates for ASC leaders to note from the past week. Click here to continue.
Dallas Hospital Unexpectedly Closes
Walnut Hill Medical Center, a for-profit 100-bed hospital in Dallas, closed Friday, according to The Dallas Morning News. Click here to continue.
7 ASCs Opened or Announced
The following seven surgery centers were opened or announced in May 2017, starting with the most recent. Click here to continue.
EmergeOrtho Wins North Carolina CON Fight for ASC OR Against Novant Health
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services awarded North Carolina-based EmergeOrtho approval for a new ASC operating room in Leland, N.C., according to Star News Online. Click here to continue.
SCA Partners With Multispecialty Connecticut ASC: 5 Things to Know
Optum's Surgical Care Affiliates made an equity investment in Danbury-based Western Connecticut Orthopedic Surgery Center, effective May 1. Click here to continue.
CHS Divests 11 Hospitals, Adds 3 More to Sale Pipeline
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems completed its sale Monday of eight hospitals to Boston-based Steward Health Care and divested two hospitals to Clinton, Tenn.-based Curae Health. Click here to continue.
Coding and Billing
OIG: Mount Sinai Hospital Overbilled Medicare by $41.9M
Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City failed to comply with Medicare billing requirements for 110 of 261 inpatient and outpatient claims reviewed by HHS' Office of Inspector General for the audit period of Jan. 1, 2012, through Dec. 31, 2013, according to a recent OIG report. Click here to continue.
Key Specialties
IBS-D Puts Financial Strain on Patients: 4 Study Insights
A study published in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy examined the burden irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea places on patients. Click here to continue.
Underwater Colonoscopy More Effective Than Air Insufflation — 5 Insights
A study presented at Digestive Disease Week 2017 examined the effectiveness of an underwater colonoscopy technique, Medscape reports. Click here to continue.
6 Things to Know About Gastroenterologist, ‘Master of None’ Actor Dr. Shoukath Ansari
Shoukath Ansari, MD, is a gastroenterologist and the medical director of Hamlet, N.C.-based Sandhills Endoscopy Center, an actor and the father of comedian Aziz Ansari. Click here to continue.
Quality and Accreditation
The Joint Commission Deletes 135 Performance Elements for Ambulatory, Office-based Surgery Programs
The Joint Commission removed 85 elements of performance from its Ambulatory Health Care accreditation program and 50 elements of performance from its Office-Based Surgery programs, Ambulatory Buzz reports Click here to continue.
28 Physician-owned Hospitals That Patients Would Definitely Recommend
These 28 physician-owned hospitals received 92 percent or more of their patients reporting on HCAHPS surveys that they would definitely recommend the hospital; the national average is 72 percent. Click here to continue.
Healthcare News
20 States With the Biggest Opioid Problems
Opioid abuse is taking the nation by storm, with some states and U.S. regions experiencing more severe cases than others. Click here to continue.