Becker's ASC Review

12 ASC MANAGEMENT 2 Arizona ASC chains plan big national expansions By Laura Dyrda T wo ASC companies are mak- ing a splash nationally with ambitious growth in the next 24 months. Comprehensive Surgical Services opened its flagship ASC in Gilbert, Ariz., this year and said in April the company partnered with an unnamed real estate firm to add 20 more centers in the next two years. e company said it aims to open facilities in California, Idaho, Okla- homa, Louisiana, Tennessee, Penn- sylvania and Florida. e flagship center has three operating rooms and 11 exam rooms. e partners will spend at least $125 million to open the remaining planned centers, ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 square feet. Comprehensive Surgical Services is owned by Joel Rainwater, MD, an interventional radiology, oncology and vascular care physician. He previously founded Comprehensive Integrated Care, a physician practice with locations in four states focused on heart care. In May, Mesa, Ariz.-based Sur- gery Center Services of America announced expansion plans. e company has developed more than 300 ASCs nationwide and said it wants to open 14 more this year. e centers range from one-operating room ophthalmology and cardiol- ogy centers to three- and four-OR multispecialty facilities. e new centers are opening between July and October across the U.S., includ- ing New York, California, Ohio and Arizona. Surgery Center Services of America works with physicians to develop all aspects of the ASC, including the feasibility assessment, project management, operations, licensure and certification. n Illinois ASC, clinic says BCBSIL terminated contract without warning By Laura Dyrda S pringfield (Ill.) Clinic accused Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois of terminating its in-network provider agreement without warning, according to an ABC af- filiate News Channel 20. Six details: 1. The physician group told the news outlet June 11 that it has been unable to reach a new contract agreement with BCBSIL and its ASC will be out of network for mem- bers Aug. 19. The entire clinic will be out of network for BCBSIL members Nov. 17. 2. BCBSIL posted a statement on its website blaming Springfield Clinic for the split. The insurer said Springfield Clinic sent an improper 30-day termination notice for Blue Choice and accused Springfield Clinic of "misleading communica- tion" to members. 3. Springfield Clinic told Herald & Review it notified 10,000 Blue Cross Blue Choice member patients in May that their status would become out of network July 1. The plan covers Illinois state employees and a few other local employer groups. 4. BCBSIL terminated all Blue Cross network agreements with Springfield Clinic when negotiations broke down over the Blue Choice contract, according to Herald & Review. Salma Khaleq, vice president of provider strategy and partnerships at BCBSIL, told the newspaper the insurer hoped the move would lead to "broader discussion" of value-based care contracts. 5. The contract termination will leave about 100,000 of Springfield Clinic's patients out of network. 6. Both parties are working to resolve the issue before their current contract ends. n 2-ASC orthopedic group inks bundled payment contract with Florida Blue By Laura Dyrda The Orthopaedic Institute, a Gainesville, Fla.-based orthopedic practice, signed a contract for bundled payments with Florida Blue Cross Blue Shield. The agreement took effect May 25 and focuses on total and partial first-time elective joint replacements. The Orthopaedic Institute has 10 locations in Florida, including two ASCs. The group has 41 specialty physicians. "The Orthopaedic Institute's value-based care agreement with Florida Blue under- scores our commitment to providing superior patient experience and high-quality outcomes all at a lower cost of care," said Rich Gilbert, MD, CEO of The Orthopae- dic Institute. The new contract will bring thousands of Florida Blue members into the practice's network, and follows a larger trend toward bundled payments in orthopedics and ASCs. Orthopedic practices and surgery centers with bundled payment capabili- ties can go beyond traditional contracts with payers to direct-contracting with large employers and cash-based, episode-of-care payments for patients with high deductibles. n

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