Becker's ASC Review

13 ASC MANAGEMENT California's 750+ ASCs expand services for COVID-19 surge By Angie Stewart C alifornia ASCs were used in new ways during the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Ambulatory Surgery Asso- ciation said in a March 30 press release. e 750-plus ASCs in the state served patients who were typically only approved for treat- ment in a hospital setting by seeking waivers for expanded functions. With the appropriate waivers, ASCs served as triage, infusion or urgent care centers; provided staff and equip- ment to hospitals; or accommodated complex surgical cases, among other options. Other centers operating under normal regulations and licensing restrictions did the following: • Evaluated supply and resource inventory • Conserved in-demand supplies includ- ing personal protective equipment • Coordinated response efforts with local hospitals and public health departments • Postponed all cases that could be safely delayed and prioritized urgent proce- dures • FollowedCDC guidelines regarding patient screening, cleaning and infection control "is crisis is requiring a comprehensive, coordinated response from the healthcare community," said CASA President Michelle George, MSN, RN. "We encourage all ASCs to stay in close communication with their local public health departments to identify how and when they can help fill the needs in their re- gion. With the appropriate changes to licens- ing and regulations, and careful implementa- tion, ASCs can quickly expand their services to help California 'meet this moment.'" n Envision to nix unexpected costs for coronavirus tests, services: 4 details By Laura Dyrda N ashville, Tenn.-based Envision Healthcare confirmed it will pro- vide care for patients with coronavirus without charging unex- pected costs. Four things to know: 1. Coronavirus testing and screening "must be treated as an essential health benefit" said Envision President and CEO Jim Rechtin, noting that patients receiving these services will not receive unexpected costs related to their care. 2. Envision will offer direct support for confusing or complicated medical bills, and if a patient does experience undue charges inadvertently due to the difficulty associated with identifying the coronavirus, Mr. Rechtin said the company would make sure patients are only responsible for in- network charges. 3. Envision's policy includes treating patients regardless of their ability to pay and offering direct support to help them understand their health plan bills. 4. Envision has more than 27,000 clinicians who provide care for patients. "Our providers are expertly delivering care to these patients and we will continue to treat every patient, regardless of their ability to pay," Mr. Richtin said. "As the coronavirus situation continues to unfold, Envision is committed to protecting patients, as well as physicians and other clinical professionals who put themselves in harm's way on behalf of those patients." n 4 COVID-19 supply considerations for ASCs By Angie Stewart T here are several supply considerations for ASCs and outpatient facilities resuming services during the COVID-19 pandemic, ac- cording to Infection Control Consulting Services. Four considerations from ICCS: 1. ASC staff are encouraged to fit-test N95 respirator masks before using them for aerosol-generating procedures. 2. KN95 respirator masks should be considered face masks only — not respirator masks, as they aren't approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 3. Some outpatient providers have been reusing, repurposing and repro- cessing NIOSH-approved N95 masks. 4. Alternatively, ASCs could provide a set number of approved N95 masks to every staff member who may be involved in aerosol-generating procedures and have those staff members rotate their supplies. n

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