September, October 2016 Issue of Becker's ASC Review
On the Cover
How One Miami-based ASC Increased its EBITDA by 90%-4 Key Strategies
Nearly 10 years ago, Meridian Surgical Partners, an ambulatory surgery center management and development company, acquired an interest in Miami-based Coral Gables Surgery Center. Click here to continue.
CMS Proposes 1.2% ASC Payment Increase in 2017: 8 Key Points
CMS released its 2017 Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule, which aims to enhance Medicare patients' quality of care. Click here to continue.
12 Largest ASC Chains in the US
Here are the 12 largest ambulatory surgery center chains in the United States by the number of ASCs each chain has. Click here to continue.
ASC Management
Bringing in Young Blood to Your ASC: 4 Considerations for Recruiting Physician Investors
Recruiting young physician investors can bring in new cases and add young blood to an ASC's mix of investors. Surgery centers, in turn, can offer physicians freedom they may not have in other healthcare environments. Click here to continue.
Mississippi Valley Surgery Center Commemorates 20 Years: 5 Things to Know
This month marks Davenport, Iowa-based Mississippi Valley Surgery Center's 20th anniversary providing outpatient services to local residents. Click here to continue.
6 Key Concepts for Smart Staffing at ASCs
Charlene Mooney of Halley Consulting Group outlines the key concepts for smartly staffing an ambulatory surgery center. Click here to continue.
10 Most Common Motivators and Incentives for Retaining Healthcare Talent
The majority of employers — 61 percent — use motivators and incentives to attract and retain employees. Click here to continue.
7 Cities with Primary Care Physician Decreases Surpassing 10%
Between 2010 and 2013, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found the number of primary care physicians per 100,000 U.S. residents increased 3.7 percent. Click here to continue.
Private Practice vs. Employement: 5 Points on Where Today's Residents Think They'll End Up
The Medscape Resident Salary & Debt Report 2016 examined whether residents plan to become a partner or owner in a practice, or an employee at a healthcare organization. Click here to continue.
Leveraging RCM Solutions to Succeed in a Value-Based World
Healthcare industry experts discussed the evolving landscape of revenue cycle management during a panel titled, "Revenue Cycle Solutions and Trends" at Becker's 2nd Annual CIO/HIT + Revenue Cycle Conference. Click here to continue.
Joint Ventures
Study Finds ACA Blocked Formation of Physician-Owned Hospitals
The Affordable Care Act effectively stopped new physician-owned hospitals from forming, according to a study published in the August issue of Health Affairs. Click here to continue.
Nobilis Health Acquires Arizona Vein & Vascular Center
Nobilis Health entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Arizona Vein & Vascular Center. Click here to continue.
17 Largest Hospital Chains in the United States- For-Profit & Not-for-Profit
Here are the 17 largest hospital chains in the United States including both for-profit and not-for-profit hospital chains. Click here to continue.
SCA Partners with Raritan Valley Surgery Center: 4 Key Points
Deerfield, Ill.-based Surgical Care Affiliates is partnering with Raritan Valley Surgery Center in Somerset, N.J. Click here to continue.
Coding and Billing
Advocate to Pay Largest HIPAA Settlement to Date
Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care has agreed to pay $5.55 million to HHS' Office for Civil Rights to settle claims that it violated HIPAA. Click here to continue.
10 Recent RCM Company Product Launches
Here are companies that debuted revenue cycle management products for healthcare providers in the last month. Click here to continue.
Outpatient Spending Expected to be Largest Driver of Premium Increases in 2017
Outpatient spending is expected to push premiums up in 2017, according to a new analysis from strategic advisory company Avalere. Click here to continue.
5 Health Systems with Strong Finances
Here are five health systems with strong operational metrics and solid financial positions according to recent reports from Fitch Ratings, Moody's Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings. Click here to continue.
Olympus Under Fire: Internal Emails Reveal US Execs Told Not to Issue Warning About Possible Fatal Scope Infection- 10 Takeaways
Olympus' internal emails reveal the company told U.S. executives not to issue a broad warning to hospitals regarding a deadly infection from tainted scopes that was later linked to numerous deaths at major hospitals, according to Kaiser Health News. Click here to continue.
Aenta Cancels ACA Expansion Plans After Facing Losses Totaling $300M: 5 Notes
Major payer Aetna reported it was not going through with expansion plans and indicated it may leave all Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges, according to Bloomberg. Click here to continue.
Key Specialties
6 Key Considerations Before Diving Into Bundled Payments- Take it from a Frontrunner ASC
Back in 2008, Gabby White, RN, began working with her surgery center's surgeons, physicians, anesthesiologist and home health to establish bundled rates. Click here to continue.
Update Spine & Neurosurgery Center, Orthopaedic Associates Merge to Open $7.2M ASC
Two Spartanburg (S.C.) practices Upstate Spine & Neurosurgery Center and Orthopaedic Associates are opening a physician-owned ambulatory surgery center, according to GoUpstate.com. Click here to continue.
LA Dodgers Foundation Gives Orthopaedic Institute for Children Additional $20k for ASCs
The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation gave Los Angeles-based Orthopaedic Institute for Children $20,000 for its recently opened ambulatory surgery center in Los Angeles. Click here to continue.
5 Key GI Payment Updates From Proposed CMS 2017 Fee Schedule
CMS proposed the 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule earlier this year with a few changes for gastroenterology and GI procedures. Click here to continue.
How Did Compensation Change for Executives, Providers From 2015 to 2016
Average annual compensation increased by 2.5 percent among physicians and surgeons from 2015 to 2016, while executives saw a 12.9 percent decrease, according to Health eCareers' 2016 Salary Guide. Click here to continue.
15 Statistics on Gastroenterologist Salary, Net Worth, Jobs & More
Here are 15 things to know about income, net worth, starting salary, payer models and jobs for GI physicians. Click here to continue.
Top 10 US States with Most Anesthesiologists
As of April 2016, there were 46,453 anesthesiologists in the United States, according to Kaiser State Health Facts. Click here to continue.
10 Things to KNow about Adenoma Detection
Here are 10 things to know about adenoma detection. Click here to continue.
Addressing Front Desk Issues Helps ASCs Optimize Revenue Cycle
How do I keep patients happy, while making sure they pay their bills, on time and in full? Click here to continue.
36 ASCs With 23-Hour Stays
Here are 37 surgery centers that are able to offer 23-hour stays to patients who require extended time for recovery. Click here to continue.
Coaching Teams to Greatness: 5 Core Management Truths
Managing any organization is comparable to coaching a team. In fact, most organizations refer to employees, co-workers and colleagues as their teammates. Click here to continue.
Quality and Accreditation
8 Ways ASCs are Non-compliant on Quality Matters
Non-compliance in ambulatory surgery centers is one of the most challenging aspects of maintaining quality programs and can have a significant impact on an ASC. Click here to continue.
CMS Penalizes 2.6k Hospitals for High Readmissinos: 5 Statistics
In fiscal year 2017, CMS will withhold $528 million in Medicare reimbursements to hospitals with higher-than-expected readmission rates as part of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, reports Kaiser Health News. Click here to continue.
The CORE Institute Teams with The Joint Commission & CDC on ASC Infection Control Guidelines
To prevent infection in ambulatory surgery centers, The CORE Institute, the Joint Commission, the CDC and other healthcare organizations will collaborate on an initiative on infection prevention and control in ASCs. Click here to continue.
The Rules of Infection Control Have Changed: 3 Compliance Issues & APIC's Role in ASC Compliance
As the healthcare industry becomes more regulated, ambulatory surgery centers will have to comply with increasingly strict guidelines for infection control. Click here to continue.
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Cause 25% of HAIs: 5 Statistics
Antibiotic resistance is rapidly increasing with some antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing nearly 25 percent of healthcare-acquired infections, according to Medscape. Click here to continue.
Why Medically Unnecessary Surgeries Still Happen
Before a drug can be marketed, it goes through a rigorous process of testing and must receive a certified stamp of approval by the FDA. Surgeries, however, aren't scrutinized to the same degree, according to an Upshot article in the New York Times. Click here to continue.
Medical Errors Occur in Nearly 50% of Surgeries: 4 Key Notes
A new study indicates medical errors are a much larger problem than previous studies implied, with nearly 50 percent of surgeries encountering a medical error or unintended drug side effect, according to Albany Daily Star. Click here to continue.
4 Statistics on Sentinel Events
The Joint Commission released its second quarter sentinel events data recently. Click here to continue.
The Joint Commission Names Michael Kaba Chief HR Officer
The Joint Commission named Michael W. Kaba, MBA, MS, chief human resources officer. Click here to continue.
Aetna Contacts 931 Physicians Prescribing the Most Opioids
Aetna analyzed 8.6 million insurance claims to identify and notify physicians prescribing the highest amount of opioids, The Washington Post reported. Click here to continue.
CMS' 2017 OPPS/ASC Proposded Rule Adds 7 New ASC Quality Reporting Measures: 5 Things to Know
CMS released the Calendar Year 2017 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System proposed changes. Aetna Contacts 931 Physicians Prescribing the Most Opioids
Malls May be the Newest Healthcare Destination: 5 Things to Know
Increasingly, retail spaces are adding offices offering medical services, according to a Bloomberg report. CMS' 2017 OPPS/ASC Proposded Rule Adds 7 New ASC Quality Reporting Measures: 5 Things to Know
Pediatric Office Drops 8 Families after Negative Facebook Comments
As eight Florida families can attest, be careful about what you write on social media. It could cost you more than you think, NBC 2 reported. Click here to continue.
Trends in Healthcare Wearables: What You Need to Know
The healthcare and technology markets are about to get more intertwined than ever, as wearable technology companies set their sights to the health industry to increase their market share. Pediatric Office Drops 8 Families after Negative Facebook Comments
Banner Helath Suffers Year's Longest Data Breach: 3.7M Affected.
Cyberattackers gained access to "a limited number" of Banner Health computer servers, including the servers that process payment card information where food and beverages are sold at the Phoenix-based health system. Click here to continue.