ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT


In addition to surprise medical bills, the law addresses other priori- ties for the ASC community as well. In one section, for example, the law phases out Medicare beneficia- ries’ copayments for colonoscopies invoked when a screening colonos- copy becomes a therapeutic proce- dure after a polyp is removed. The


MEMBER PROFILE


Q What kind of cardiac procedures are being done in ASCs today and what


advocating that the federal government expand its list of covered procedures in an outpatient setting to include several cardiac diagnostic and interventional procedures.


KELLY BEMIS, RN


Title: Chief Clinical Officer Company Name:


Azura Vascular Care, LP, and


National Cardiovascular Partners City: Malvern


State: Pennsylvania


The reality is that for many privately insured individuals, there are simply more options. We believed then, and even more so now, that all patients, irrespective of their insurance plan, should have access to all procedures that can help them live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives.


Cardiology started in the ASC setting with straight-forward procedures, such as pacemaker and defibrillator implantations. Then in 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved adding diagnostic heart catheterization to the list. We are happy to report that each year since then, CMS has included more cardiac interventional procedures, like coronary stents and atherectomy, on its list of ASC-approved procedures.


With the addition of these new and emergent service lines, patients now have the opportunity to schedule these procedures—services once only available in a hospital setting—in a safe, high-quality and convenient outpatient setting.


This shift became particularly important in 2020, as hospitals reached their breaking point dealing with a global pandemic and many non-emergent procedures were cancelled. Our facilities were happy to offer a safe alternative to patients and free up our frontline workers so they could handle the steady influx of COVID-19 patients.


Looking ahead, this sure and steady migration to outpatient surgical care is likely to continue. As technology continues to advance, making cardiac devices safer and smaller, and ASCs continue to evolve, there will be many more opportunities to offer high-quality and safe procedures outside of a traditional hospital setting. In the coming years, we expect to see the performance of structural heart disease procedures such as Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Closure, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion (Watchman Device) being performed in the ASC setting.


This is an exciting time to work in the outpatient healthcare arena. The future is wide open for ASC operators and our patients alike.


ASC FOCUS MARCH 2021 | ascfocus.org 25


do you foresee in the cardiac field in the ASC setting in the next five years? A Over the past few years, Azura/NCP has joined a growing chorus of experts in


elimination of this additional expense to patients is similar to what ASCA pursued in the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act. ASCA’s Resource Center has more information on other provisions of the law and the results of the advocacy ASCA and its members conducted during the 116th Congress.


Write Steve Selde for more infor- mation about how you can be involved in ASCA’s advocacy efforts or any of the changes discussed above.


Steve Selde is ASCA’s assistant director of Government Affairs. Write him at sselde@ ascassociation.org.


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