Becker's ASC Review

13 ASC MANAGEMENT AAAHC's 5 most common deficiencies during surveys & more insights By Eric Oliver T he Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare released its 2020 Quality Roadmap, which identifies high-compliance areas and improvement opportunities from surveys conducted in 2019. AAAHC shared data from 1,488 surveys. Several insights from the report: 1. e most common deficiencies were related to quality improvement and documentation. e surveys found centers were most lacking on missing information in a patient's clinical record on aller- gies/sensitivities and missing evidence of medication reconciliation. 2. Top deficiencies cited in more than 10 percent of surveys were consistent with previous years' findings. ese deficiencies related to credentialing and privi- leging, infection prevention/safe injection practices, and emergency preparedness. 3. AAAHC broke down high-compliance standards by whether the survey was to achieve Medicare deemed status or not. High-compliance standards for non-Medicare Deemed Status surveys included: • Supporting ongoing professional development • Transferring a patient between professionals • Educating staff members on new devices or products • Maintaining strict confidentiality on patient records • Ensuring a licensed provider directed pharma- ceutical services 4. High-compliance standards for Medicare Deemed Status surveys included: • Implementing strategies to prevent adverse patient events • Having measures to improve clinical compe- tence, skill and performance • Providing access to information on clinical, ed- ucational, administrative and research services • Encouraging professionals to continue educa- tional programs and activities • Being concerned about cost of care n Some ASCs, surgeons limit sales rep access while others depend on them now more than ever By Laura Dyrda A SCs are resuming elective surgery in many places where centers temporarily closed or ramped down volume to cover just urgent cases. Due to the pandemic, many centers have new protocols and proce- dures for anyone entering the center, including sales reps. For ex- ample, Physicians Alliance Surgery Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo., has a new screening process that includes taking temperatures for all reps that enter the building and making sure they enter and exit through the front door so they can check in at the registration desk. Administrator Matthew Ewasko said in a recent Becker's article that this process will stay in place post-pandemic. "One of the items we are going to keep is our check-in process for sales reps at the facility," he said. "This will allow us to track who is in our building with greater efficiency and allow us to limit the amount of personnel in our surgical suites." ASCs are making other changes as well. In some cases, adminis- trators have severely limited access to the operating room or the center for device company representatives, sometimes having them video conference into the OR instead. In other cases, surgeons are relying more heavily on their reps because centers have cut staff and the surgeons still need support. n New Jersey surgery center affiliate denied expedited CON for hospital sale By Eric Oliver T he New Jersey Depart- ment of Health rejected a bid from BMC Hospital to acquire an expedited certificate of need to operate Bayonne (N.J.) Medical Center, The Jer- sey Journal reports. What you should know: 1. The state said BMC Hospital, which consists of investors and partners affiliated with for-profit surgery center operator Sur- gicore, did not meet the criteria for an accelerated review. 2. BMC Hospital can apply again through the normal pro- cess, but it would delay the sale process further. 3. Bayonne Medical Center and the other CarePoint Health hos- pitals are in the midst of a bid- ding war. While BMC Hospital made the first bid, competing Hudson Regional Hospital re- vealed in mid-May that it signed a deal with the BMC's landlord to purchase the hospital and lease the land. Hudson Regional said May 27 it had offered to acquire all three CarePoint hospitals. BMC does not have a deal for the hospital's land. 4. The Hudson County Board was also considering entering the fray to use eminent domain to seize the land from Bay- onne's landlord. If the county did seize the land, it would be to ensure the hospital re- mained in operation. n

• Cover