MESSAGE FROM THE CEO What to Watch in 2017


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lthough January might be a more traditional time to begin forecasting hot topics and new developments that might affect ASCs in the coming year, a number


of articles in this edition address emerging issues that will lead surgery centers in important new directions in 2017. The cover story, “Outcomes of Spine Surgery in an ASC,” on page 8 discusses the success that ASCs, their physicians and their patients have experienced with these surgeries. This is an important development that ASCs will be talking about next year. Tracking outstanding patient outcomes, the low incidence of complications and the cost savings will be key to moving more patients to the ASC setting for these procedures. “Bundle Up,” on page 12, discusses a successful bundled payment program in


California and looks at two important trends: the move away from fee-for-service payments and toward value-based payments and the ever-increasing number and kinds of surgeries being performed in ASCs. Surgery centers that want to remain ahead of the curve will stay on top of these critical developments. “Protect Your ASC from a Ransomware Attack” on page 14, the “Doing Business” column on page 18 and “Social Media and Your ASC” on page 30, speak to the ever- expanding role that sophisticated e-communications tools are playing in patient care. Going forward, ASCs will need to manage these tools effectively to protect their patients and facility. The “Regulatory Review” column on page 21 explores the new Medicare physician


Correction


The article “ASC Collections under Health Care Reform” in the September issue of ASC Focus magazine misidentifies the current president of in2itive Business Solutions. in2itive named Terry Coleman its new president in February 2016, after this article was written. The remarks attributed to Coleman’s predecessor in this article do not represent the company’s current thoughts or opinions. To learn more about Coleman, visit in2itive.org.


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.


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payment system that begins on January 1, 2017. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 changes how and how much physicians will be paid for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries and how physicians will interact with the program. While these changes won’t affect facility fees in ASCs, they will affect the physicians who work there and need to be a concern for all ASC management teams. The “Advocacy Spotlight” column this month, on page 23, features an interview with ASC political and advocacy counsel John McManus. John has spent more than a decade helping ASCA promote and protect ASCs on Capitol Hill and talks about the growing need for individual ASC involvement in grassroots advocacy and ASCA’s political action committee ASCAPAC. In line with John’s recommendations, I encourage everyone to plan now to participate in ASCA 2017, May 3–6, in Washington, DC, to join in the many opportunities that will available there to get involved in ASC advocacy and ASCAPAC. While we focus on the new developments, we cannot lose sight of old favorites like the increasingly complex regulatory environment ASCs face, new developments in Medicare’s ASC quality reporting requirements, new codes introduced to ICD-10 and the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Survey (OAS CAHPS) we expect to become mandatory for ASCs soon. To get what you need to stay on top of these issues, check in with ASCA every


day. Read this magazine and our weekly email newsletters; attend ASCA 2017 and the 2017 Winter Seminars, January 12–14, in San Antonio, Texas; access ASCA’s online training series and webinars; participate in ASCA Benchmarking and ASCA’s Salary and Benefits Survey; and visit ASCA’s Career Center. As we enter the new year, ASCA stands ready to keep you connected, informed and involved. Make sure that your ASC takes advantage of all that we offer you.


Bill Prentice Chief Executive Officer


ASC FOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016


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