Becker's Spine Review

44 OUTPATIENT SURGERY Leapfrog launches inaugural ASC quality & safety survey: 4 details By Angie Stewart T he Leapfrog Group launched a survey evaluating ambulatory surgery center 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 informa- tion; medical, surgical and clinical staff; volume and safety of procedures; patient safety practices; and patient experience. 2. Leapfrog's separate hospital survey also in- cludes 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. Leapfrog plans to make aggregated data on ASCs and HOPDs publicly available this fall. Fa- cility-level results will only be made public be- ginning with the 2020 surveys, but facilities that complete the 2019 survey will receive individual benchmarking reports. 4. Leapfrog developed the surveys with input from an expert panel and the Armstrong In- stitute for Patient Safety and Quality at Balti- more-based John Hopkins Medicine. e non- profit organization also refined the questions through pilot testing. "Health plans and purchasers rely on e Leap- frog Group for value-based purchasing and re- porting to their enrollees and employees, and we are proud to be able to expand our ratings to cover outpatient surgery and ASCs," said Leap- frog President and CEO Leah Binder. "By partic- ipating in the Leapfrog Hospital or ASC Surveys, hospitals and ASCs alike can be recognized for their quality and safety." n Florida hospital closes ASC due to lack of specialists; may reopen in the fall: 4 key notes By Laura Dyrda A n ASC operated by The Villages (Fla.) Regional Hospital has closed due to a lack of specialists, according to a report from Villages-News. Four key notes: 1. The Villages Regional Hospital CEO Don Henderson said the outpa- tient surgical facility temporarily closed on March 1 because it did not attract enough specialists to continue operating as normal. 2. The hospital's administration plans to evaluate the closure in the fall and potentially reopen the facility if it makes sense. The report noted several new physicians have moved into the area. 3. Originally opened in 2015, the multispecialty ASC included ophthal- mology, podiatry, dermatology, pain management and plastic surgery. 4. The closure occurred amid other issues at The Villages Regional Hos- pital, including a one-star rating from CMS. n Humana adds 100+ SurgCenter Development facilities to national network — 3 things to know By Angie Stewart H umana and Towson, Md.-based SurgCenter Development en- tered an agreement adding more than 100 SurgCenter Development locations to Humana's national provider network, effective Feb. 1. Three things to know: 1. The agreement expands Humana members' access to total knee, hip and shoulder replacements in the ambulatory surgery center setting. 2. SurgCenter Development has an operational portfolio of 114 mul- tispecialty, orthopedic-driven ASCs, with 16 additional facilities under development. 3. SurgCenter Development's more than 1,800 physician partners have performed 38,000-plus joint replacements since rolling out programs to shift these cases to the outpatient setting. "We're excited to take this step and significantly expand and enhance Humana members' access to total joint replacement outside the hos- pital, in a surgery center setting, through this national agreement with SurgCenter," Humana Care Decision Insights Medical Director Preeti- Jois, MD, said in a press release. n

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