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Ohio ASC Hosts Virtual Facility Tour Q&A with Suzi Walton of Ohio Surgery Center INTERVIEWED BY ROBERT KURTZ


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n the wake of the COVID-19 pan- demic, Ohio Surgery Center in Columbus, Ohio, hosted its first virtual facility tour. Suzi Walton, CASC, the ASC’s facility adminis- trator, worked with ASCA to arrange a 30-minute virtual facility tour for Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH) and several of his staff members. The ASC had previously hosted two on- site tours for legislators.


Q Why did you want to host a virtual tour of your ASC?


Suzi Walton (SW): Back in August [2020], we were preparing for a likely spike in COVID-19 cases in the com- ing months. I felt it was imperative that we help educate our legislative lead- ers about the ways ASCs could safely operate even during a spike, so we would hopefully avoid another manda- tory shutdown.


Q What did you cover during the tour?


SW: We covered what an ASC is in general, some history of ASCs and the number of ASCs per state and in the nation. Legislative leaders often do not know this information. We dis- cussed the cost savings that can be realized by an ASC based on site-of- service differentials. We discussed the impact of Ohio ASCs in delivering cost savings and, more specifically, the impact of ASCs in his district. We have 23 ASCs in Congressman Balderson’s district alone. That was important for him to know. Then we held the virtual tour por-


tion of the visit. We made a short video using an iPhone. This covered how the pandemic had affected our ability to serve patients, which are his constit- uents; changes our ASC made to best ensure patients and employees were


26 ASC FOCUS AUGUST 2021 | ascfocus.org Q What was it like to host a virtual tour compared to an


The virtual visit was an amazing experience. Congressman Balderson not only attended but he asked more questions than his staff. We had his undivided attention.”


— Suzi Walton Ohio Surgery Center


in-person tour? SW: I was hesitant in the beginning about hosting a virtual visit. I didn't think it could be effective. During our previous in-person visits, we did not host the specific member of Congress, only their representatives. Getting a member of Congress to visit you is difficult. They are usually in town for a limited amount of time, and a lot of people want their attention. The virtual visit was an amazing experience. Congressman Balderson not only attended but he asked more questions than his staff. We had his undivided attention. He was joined by his healthcare legislative team. You want that team present because that is who is in the know about health- care matters and that is who you want reaching out to you if there is some- thing they are working on affecting ASCs that requires clarification.


Q How did ASCA assist with your experience?


kept safe; the impact of federal eco- nomic assistance on our facility and employees; and finally, what financial assistance ASCs would likely need to survive the pandemic. We left open time for questions and answers from Congressman Balder- son and his team. He sought a lot of additional information on price goug- ing and the ability for us to access the products we needed to keep serving his constituents.


SW: We worked directly with Adam Parker, ASCA’s manager of politi- cal and grassroot affairs. He handled the invite to the congressman's office and took the lead on setting everything up. He provided a slide deck of talking points that we filled in concerning our ASC’s specific information and pro- vided a framework for how we should do our video quickly and effectively. Adam was also a sounding board so we could practice our presentation. He pro- vided a follow-up letter to send out after the meeting. Sending those letters and thank yous is so important to keeping the relationship going following visits. Whether it is for in-person or virtual


visits, ASCA helps make the experience as easy and valuable as possible.


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