Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1117375
22 ASC MANAGEMENT Brookside ENT and Hearing Center closes after hack deletes all files — 7 insights By Eric Oliver B attle Creek, Mich.-based Brookside ENT and Hearing Center closed after the center fell victim to a data hack that wiped out all the practice's files, local news affiliate WWMT reports. What you should know: 1. The practice fell victim to ransomware. Hackers demanded $6,500 for the files. 2. William Scalf, MD, and his partner John Bizon, MD, did not pay the hackers because there was no way to guarantee the files' return. 3. Hackers erased all files including appointments, payment and patient information. 4. Although the hackers could not access the information contained within the practice's EMR system, they were still able to delete it. 5. Dr. Bizon said the hackers did not copy or share the information. 6. Drs. Bizon and Scalf decided to retire early, rather than rebuild the practice from the ground up. 7. The practice will close permanently April 30. Administrators are refer- ing patients to other providers. n Gastro Health makes 1st out-of-state acquisition in Alabama — 5 insights By Eric Oliver Miami-based Gastro Health is acquiring Birmingham, Ala.-based South- east Gastro, its first out-of-state acquisition. What you should know: 1. Southeast Gastro has four main clinical locations, four satellite loca- tions and three surgery centers in Birmingham. 2. Southeast Gastro's 20 board-certified gastroenterologists and 17 advanced practitioners will join Gastro Health's team. 3. Neither practice disclosed terms of the transaction. 4. Gastro Health CEO Joseph Garcia said, "[Southeast Gastro's] long history of providing the highest quality, patient-centered care has made a tremendous impact in their community and speaks directly to our own commitment to improving the health of our patients through teamwork, mutual respect and compassionate care." 5. Gastro Health partnered with Audax Private Equity in June 2016, the first such partnership in the gastroenterology space. n Leapfrog launches inaugural ASC quality & safety survey: 5 details By Angie Stewart T he Leapfrog Group launched its survey evaluating ASC quality and safety April 1. What you should know: 1. Leapfrog invited all U.S. ASCs to report data to its inaugural ASC survey, which includes five categories of questions: basic facility infor- mation; medical, surgical and clinical staff; volume and safety of procedures; patient safety practices; and patient experience. 2. Leapfrog's separate hospital survey includes questions about outpatient surgery for the first time this year. ese questions, which appear in the "Outpatient Procedures Section" on the hospital survey, are intended to help consumers and purchasers compare procedures across care settings. 3. e survey submission deadline is June 30. ASCs can obtain a security code for survey access by contacting Leapfrog's Help Desk. Participation is free and voluntary. 4. Leapfrog plans to make aggregated data on ASCs and HOPDs publicly available this fall. Facility-level results will only be made public beginning with the 2020 surveys, but facili- ties that complete the 2019 survey will receive individual benchmarking reports. 5. Leapfrog developed the surveys with input from an expert panel and the Armstrong Insti- tute for Patient Safety and Quality at Baltimore- based John Hopkins Medicine. e nonprofit organization also refined the questions through pilot testing. "Health plans and purchasers rely on e Leapfrog Group for value-based purchasing and reporting to their enrollees and employ- ees, and we are proud to be able to expand our ratings to cover outpatient surgery and ASCs," said Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder. "By participating in the Leapfrog Hospital or ASC Surveys, hospitals and ASCs alike can be recognized for their quality and safety." n