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FEATURE


CAREERS SPECIAL FEATURE—


ASC. It shows that they are well-round- ed and further confirms their skill set.” The CASC exam covers five ma-


A Critical Credential


What does it take to earn CASC certification and what can it mean for you and your ASC? BY SAHELY MUKERJI


A


SCA’s 2012 Salary & Benefits Survey shows that, nationally, the


median salary for ASC administrators with a clinical background who hold the Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC) credential is $110,000, while the median salary of administrators with a clinical background who do not hold the CASC credential is $92,872 (See article on page 34). But that’s just one of many benefits the credential can provide, say CASC credential holders.


Understanding the Credential The CASC credential is a distinction earned by those in the ASC industry with a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge and skills that the role of an ASC administrator requires. “CASC certification shows that you are qualified to run all aspects of an


For more about the CASC credential, go to www.aboutcasc.org.


ASC,” says Arthur E. Casey, CASC, se- nior vice president of business develop- ment at Outpatient Healthcare Strategies in Houston, Texas. Casey is president of the Board of Directors for the Board of Ambulatory Surgery Certification (BASC)—the organization that manages the CASC credentialing program—and helped create the initial exam. “In many cases,” Casey says, “ASC administrators are promoted into man- agement roles from within the ASC, and this certification shows that they have the clinical and business skills that they need—and that they understand the qualitative and regulatory aspects of an


jor content areas. These were selected based on the results of an ASC admin- istrator job analysis. The five areas are delivery of patient care, quality man- agement, human resources, financial, and regulatory and legal issues. While the employers that he knows do not require their administrators to have CASC certification, it adds dis- tinction, says Andrew S. Weiss, CASC, administrator of The Endo Center at Voorhees in Voorhees, New Jersey, and a member of the CASC Exam Committee and BASC Board. Under the direction of BASC, the Exam Committee is charged with ensuring that the exam stays cor- rect, current and relevant. “CASC is the only recognized credential in the ASC industry,” adds Weiss. “It helps guide you and keep you on topic with the continuing education that is required to maintain the credential. That is really im- portant in this industry that changes so much every day.” The CASC credential “lends cred- ibility to the body of knowledge that an administrator should have,” says Dawn Q. McLane, CASC, vice presi- dent of consulting, development and integration at Health Inventures in Westminster, Colorado. Like Casey and Weiss, she also is a member of the CASC Exam Committee. “Our administrators come from many dif- ferent backgrounds. They are strong in some areas and not so strong in others. It assures an employer who’s looking for an administrator that the candidate has the body of knowledge that the CASC exam represents. It benefits both the administrator and the employer.”


The CASC credential is an easy


way to demonstrate and document that you have a certain skill set, Casey


The data reported in ASCA’s 2012 Salary & Benefits Survey is necessarily limited to information received from persons responding to the survey and should not be viewed as representative of the entire field.


22 ASC FOCUS FEBRUARY 2013


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