ORLANDO, FL: MAY 13–16


not guarantee a ride for the partner- ing ASC on those coattails. Your health system partner might or might not have the ASC expertise necessary to negoti- ate rates and structure appropriate for your center. If they rely on their hospi- tal contract negotiating experience and reimbursement structures, the result- ing contracts might fall short of meet- ing your current needs and might not address your future growth opportuni- ties as more complex cases move to the ASC environment. A specific, mutually agreed upon, managed care strategy is essential to giving your ASC the best chance for superior contracts. While managed care “lift” is often a


key reason for an ASC to partner with a hospital, access to the hospital’s care net- work and case volume “loft” is another. I will outline the importance of ingrain- ing your ASC and your doctors in the


health system network to ensure surgical cases remain in the hospital network and make suggestions on how to achieve this goal. There also are key steps to ensuring your ASC is gaining access to the health system’s purchasing power and taking advantage of your hospital’s support ser- vices and expertise.


Define a Shared Vision Like any relationship, the ASC–hospi- tal relationship can thrive with healthy


communication and a collective vision of the future. I will suggest ways to engage hospital leadership and physi- cian board members in an open con- versation to find common ground and develop an achievable, accountable plan to reach common goals and be stronger together.


Terry Bohlke is the vice president of ASCs at Community Health Systems in Franklin, Tennessee. Write him at terry_bohlke@chs.net.


ASC FOCUS MAY 2020 | ascfocus.org


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