Becker's ASC Review

35 Thought Leadership happy patients. They say history is doomed to repeat itself. Surgeons were trapped in hospitals, because, for many, this was their only option. After breaking free and finding their independence, what drove them back into the shared ownership models? Perhaps poor management and lack of mentoring for the day-to-day operations could have been a factor. Many of these administra- tors are thrown into these positions truly out of convenience with little to no training or mentoring. It will be intriguing to see if surgeons will once again attempt to break away from those obligatory shared profits and pursue the dream of becoming their own boss once more, especially for the sake of the patient. Donald Lenz. Eye Surgery Center of New Albany (Ind.): Following years of proving the value of ASCs in regard to efficiency, cost savings, safety and other quality metrics, ASCs stepped up to help in the national response to the pandemic emergency. Now the major pay- ers, government agencies and employers have finally been able to see the totality of the value provided by ASCs. The ASC industry started as a means for surgery specialists to secure [operat- ing room] time without worrying about running over scheduled time or being "bumped" by surgeons whose specialties were more prone to emergencies and/ or more lucrative to the hospitals. These visionaries saw the opportunity to have more input into how their patients received their care and a return on their invest- ments. Over time as the industry devel- oped, additional surgeons wanted to secure time and shares in the ASCs, leading to additional procedures being performed and an increase in demand. The ASC industry has continued to grow and transform itself until we have reached the current state. Marcy Delvecchio. Central Ohio Surgical Institute (New Albany): [e future of the industry] is interesting. ere will be a lot of changes, challenges and opportunities ahead for the ASC industry. Capitalizing on the op- portunities will be key. Matthew Ewasko. Physicians Alliance Surgery Center (Cape Girardeau, Mo.): I am very confident the ASC industry is poised for extreme growth and prosperity in the coming years. We have seen a migra- tion of more and more cases moving from the HOPD setting to the ASCs, and there is no sign of this stopping in the near future. I believe this trend will continue as ASCs prove to be safe and profitable venues for all types of surgical cases. These facilities not only provide benefits to the surgeons, but more importantly, provide a benefit to the patients with lower cost and equal, if not better, outcomes. Becky Ziegler-Otis. Ambulatory Surgical Center of Stevens Point (Wis.): e one word I would use to describe the outlook on the ASC industry right now is "dynamic." I chose this word because I believe the ASC space is constantly changing and there is a lot going on. Consider the mergers, acquisitions, regula- tory changes, and pandemic implications all happening at the same time. Just as you move forward in direction, you need to be pre- pared to shi priorities and move in another direction or shi focus to keep up with the everchanging landscape. Nathan Garner. Fort Sutter Surgery Cen- ter (Sacramento, Calif.): [I'm] optimistic. We are on the winning side of healthcare and there are still huge opportunities for ASCs to grow and expand in the current healthcare environment. Due to our ability as ASCs to consistently meet the quadruple aim in healthcare, we have seen more and more procedures added to the CMS ap- proved list each year. Payers are pressuring providers and even vendors to move proce- dures typically performed in the hospitals into the outpatient space. Current areas of continued expansion and excitement are in total joints, minimally invasive spine, cardiology, and robotics. I am optimis- tic that as long as we continue to provide superior clinical outcomes, lower costs, and a positive experience for our patients and physicians, this positive trend of movement toward our ASCs will continue. n Meet the administrator behind a recently MBSAQIP-accredited ASC By Patsy Newitt L ubbock, Texas-based Covenant High Plains Surgery Center received Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program accreditation in May. Administrator Alfonso del Granado, CASC, spoke with Becker's ASC Review about the accreditation process. Editor's note: this response was edited lightly for clarity and brevity. Question: What did the process of earning MBSAQIP accreditation look like? Alfonso del Granado: A huge part of the process is gathering data. You need to have outcomes, and that requires manpower. It is a painstaking process. It's expensive, too, because the people gathering the data are not summer interns — these are nurses and techs. Step two is to begin the process of putting together a formal policy and procedure book that encompasses all of the standards of care published by MBSA. MBSA is very helpful in that they have their standards published openly — anybody can download them. Then, it's a matter of finding ways to make sure that you are meeting all of the criteria Q: What does this accreditation say about your ASC? AG: This accreditation says that we're doing good work, and we know why we're doing good work. It also shows a commitment to the patient — when your patient comes up to you and asks about complications, you have the data to tell them that. A lot of centers around the country do a really good job, but they're not able to either afford the accreditation financially or because personnel are not able to fully formalize all of the protocols. You must have people chasing patient complications, beneficial effects and outcomes. n

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