MESSAGE FROM THE CEO New this Year from ASCA


W


ith nearly half of 2016 behind us, now is a good time to review some of the innova- tive projects and outreach efforts that ASCA has been involved with this year. New HIPAA Workbook for ASCs. To help ASCs comply with all of the Health Insur-


ance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requirements, ASCA provided all of its facility and corporate members with a free HIPAA compliance workbook this spring. This workbook, developed specifically for ASCs, includes an in-depth review of the HIPAA requirements and a comprehensive set of customizable forms and worksheets that you can use to design, evaluate and strengthen your ASC’s compliance program. ASC Focus Online. This spring, ASCA launched an online version of ASC Focus mag-


azine, ascassociation.org/ASCFocus. The new site is responsive and adjusts to your tablet, smartphone or other e-reading device. It also includes a new “Digital Debut” section where we will post selected articles from the magazine before they appear in print. ASCA Benchmarking Upgrades. Based on feedback we received from ASCA mem-


bers and benchmarking experts in the ASC community, we recently upgraded ASCA Benchmarking, our clinical and operational benchmarking program. The enhanced pro- gram now offers dynamic filtering capabilities, streamlined data entry and real-time data review. For more information, visit www.ascassociation.org/Benchmarking. ASCA 2016. ASCA’s annual meeting in Dallas, Texas, May 19–22, featured more than 60 educational sessions. If you missed any sessions, you can get the recordings at asca.sclivelearningcenter.com. Representation on MedPAC. ASCA continues to work to have a representative of


the ASC community included on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (Med- PAC), the group that makes recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Congress on ASC payment policy. As I write this message, a final decision has not yet been made, but Richard Edelson, MD, ASCA’s MedPAC nominee, has garnered broad support in the health care community. Conversations with CMS. Early this year, ASCA staff along with Michael Patter-


son, ASCA Board member and president and chief executive officer of Mississippi Val- ley Health in Davenport, Iowa, and John Hoffman, orthopedic surgeon at Orthopaedic Specialists in Davenport, met with CMS medical directors to discuss total joint replace- ment surgery in the outpatient setting. We are continuing to work with CMS to encourage the migration of these and other procedures to the ASC setting. ASCA staff also met recently with representatives from the CMS Survey and Cer- tification Group and Clinical Standards Group. We requested this meeting to discuss recent changes to the infection control worksheet and issues that our members are fac- ing during surveys. Expanded Dialogue with CDC. Earlier this year, we met with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff to discuss a recent publication from their Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion that likened ASCs to unregulated facilities. The meet- ing was productive, and the CDC showed an interest in better collaboration in the future. Coming Soon. Looking to next year, ASCA has already scheduled its Coding Sem-


Seeking Authors


ASC Focus is seeking the contribution of articles by guest authors. If you have the expertise and time to write for us, we’d be interested in hearing from you. Please see our editorial guidelines at www.ascassociation.org/Focus and submit your story proposal to smukerji@ascassociation.org.


6 ASC FOCUS JUNE/JULY 2016


inar, January 12–14, 2017, in San Antonio, Texas. We also have begun planning for ASCA 2017 in Washington, DC, May 3–6, at the


Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. We are looking forward to hosting this meeting just next door to our national office and Capitol Hill. I hope to see you there.


Bill Prentice Chief Executive Officer


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