MESSAGE FROM THE CEO Register Now for ASCA’s May Meetings


ASCA will offer two meetings this May in Orlando, Florida: our annual meeting ASCA 2015 and a new Medical Director Leadership Seminar. If you work in an ASC, have an ownership interest in one or want to make new connections in the ASC community, you should attend one or both of these meetings. ASCA 2015, May 13–16 at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort &


Convention Center, will include all of the valuable information updates and networking opportunities that our members have come to expect from our annual meetings each year. Please note that this year’s meeting schedule includes a slight change: we will kick off the meeting with a general session that will start at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13. The welcome reception in the Exhibit Hall, traditionally our opening event, will be second on the program and open at 6:30 p.m. Please keep this new schedule in mind when you make your travel plans. The pre-meeting workshops will look closely at some of the most important issues


facing ASCs today. Alongside the certified administrator surgery center (CASC) review course and accreditation updates we traditionally offer, these workshops will dig into the details behind ■


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pending changes (as of January 22) in the Life Safety Code requirements that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) applies to ASCs; and


sterilization standards and recommended practices. The ICD-10 workshop will be one of your last chances to learn more about the


new coding system and pick our expert’s brain on the ins and outs of applying it in your ASC before this new system takes effect in October. “A CMS Life Safety Code Survival Guide” will explore CMS’ fundamental requirements for an ASC’s physical environment and discuss ASC operational requirements established by CMS and the National Fire Protection Association. The sterilization workshop will take a close look at the ways that the most recent updates to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation sterilization standards—including two new requirements due out in 2015—will affect your ASC. The presenter will offer practical, hands-on compliance tips. The main ASCA 2015 program will feature sessions on new drug disposal requirements, ways to manage procedures moving into the ASC setting for the first time, confronting the human resources challenges in your ASC and enhancing efficiency in your daily schedule. For more information, go to www.ascassociation.org/asca2015. If we receive


Download your free 2015 quality reporting tip sheet at www.ascassociation.org/ 2015QualityReportingRequirements.


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 MARCH 2015


your registration by April 3, you can save $100 or more on your registration fee. Please call 703.836.5904 if you have questions. The second meeting, the Medical Director Leadership Seminar, is the first of its kind and is being held at the request of our members. It will take place May 16–17, at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, and will target the special interests and needs of medical directors and other physician leaders in the ASC setting. Participants will discuss strategic planning techniques, decision-making strategies, new technology and marketplace trends. They also will have extensive networking opportunities. The meeting will provide a unique opportunity for ASC owners and physician leaders to step away from their routine responsibilities and join with their colleagues in discussions of key management concerns that all ASCs encounter. For more information, go to www.ascassociation.org/educationevents/ 2015medicaldirectors.


I hope that you will join us in Orlando.


Bill Prentice Chief Executive Officer


the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10);


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