ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT
ing and training the right clinical team members, and creating patient educa- tion protocols. We met with the state representatives who would ultimately license the facility, but never along the way did we meet with lawmakers. Fast-forward and we found ourselves in a position where we were not only defending the ability to do outpatient total joints, but defending the very def- inition of ASCs within the state itself. Along the way, I found myself many times wondering how some of the fundamentals we all know to be true of surgery centers—lower infection rates, better patient outcomes, lower cost—could be so misunderstood, and even challenged. I became involved in defense of the significant investment of money and time we had already made but eventually chose to remain involved because I recognized that it
was not just my surgery center that was at risk—it was the entire industry within our state.
“The opportunity and responsibil- ity for us to provide exceptional patient care, care that we would want for our- selves and our family members, can- not and does not stop once our patients leave our facility. It is our responsibil- ity to ensure that the regulations within our respective states promote and encourage our ability to provide that exceptional patient care. We cannot and should not expect our state legisla- tors to know about the wonderful ben- efits surgery centers offer if we are not in their offices proactively sharing this information. We are on the front lines of outpatient surgery and we have to be crafting our own futures by work- ing with our physicians, the local pay- ers, even the hospital associations in
collaborating to be the best resource to our patients.”
ASCA monitors legislation in all 50 states to help state associations mobi- lize ahead of any harmful actions. In conjunction with its State Affairs Com- mittee, ASCA hosts an annual State Leaders Conference where association leaders and advocates come together to learn how to resolve issues in their states and become better advocates for the ASC industry. This year the ASCA State Leaders Conference will take place on April 11 at ASCA’s annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information on the State Leaders Conference, please write Ali Legros at
alegros@ascassociation.org.
Ali Legros-Murphy is ASCA’s assistant director of government affairs, state affairs. Write her at
alegros@ascassociation.org.
ASC FOCUS APRIL 2018 |
www.ascfocus.org
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