Becker's Spine Review

56 ASC Staffing & supply chain: ASC leaders' key winter concerns By Patsy Newitt S taffing shortages amid COVID-19 surges and supply chain disruptions are two of the biggest upcoming con- cerns for ASCs. Nine ASC leaders spoke with Becker's on their biggest concerns for the upcoming winter season. Note: ese responses were edited lightly for clarity and brevity. Jason Sugar, MD. Washington Gastroen- terology (Tacoma): e pandemic will con- tinue to be a major source of strain on the healthcare system. Staffing shortages may be exacerbated by vaccine mandates and vaccine hesitancy. Delay in routine care may continue to occur with the backlog in elective cases. A possible COVID-19 surge related to schools being back in session, colder weather and the holiday season may be amplified by flu sea- son, with some states already reporting mod- erate flu activity. is has the potential to put additional stress on ERs and ICUs. Caryn Fink, BSN, RN. Director of ASC Clinical Operations at IU Health (India- napolis): Staffing is our biggest concern right now. is is second only to the continued ab- sences due to COVID-19. Robert Nelson. Executive Director of Island Eye Surgicenter (Westbury, N.Y.): Obvious- ly, COVID-19 had an enormous impact on ASCs in the winter and spring of 2020 — es- sentially shutting the industry down. I am hopeful that the delta variant or another vari- ant doesn't have a similar impact this winter. But another concern I have is the cost and availability of medications and supplies. Now more than ever, ASCs must have a laser focus on their supply costs. Review every contract, and if you are not taking advantage of prices available through a group purchasing option, you must do so. More specifically, there are specialty-specific GPOs that are experts at working with vendors within their specialty. With proposed cuts to reimbursement, man- aging costs becomes imperative. Aravind Sankar, MD. General Surgery Spe- cialist at Westlake Medical Center (West Lake Hills, Texas): Uncertainties regarding new COVID-19 variants and possible severe flu season may be the most difficult challenge of the winter season. Craig Gold. Administrator of Virginia Cen- ter for Eye Surgery (Virginia Beach): My biggest concerns are regarding COVID-19. Virginia hasn't seen the dramatic delta vari- ant spike seen in other states yet, and I am worried that if our hospitals get too full, they will start to discourage or even restrict none- mergency surgeries at ASCs due to the poten- tial for hospital transfers, despite that being a rare occurrence for ophthalmologic surgery. Brandon Hollis. Administrator of Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee Surgery Center (Franklin): Our biggest concern for the win- ter season will be to maintain a healthy work- force during a pandemic and fierce competi- tion for all healthcare workers. We will also continue to focus on treating each patient individually and making sure our patients are safely taken care of. Our expectations carry a very high level of patient satisfaction, and this doesn't change, regardless of season. Melissa Hermanson, RN, MSN. Adminis- trator of Ambulatory Care Center (Vine- land, N.J.): COVID-19 and vaccinations are my biggest worries. It is concerning to see the positive case numbers continue to increase while vaccinations are dropping off. We, as an industry, have been leaders in providing safe, high-quality care, but it is very draining on our resources to have to continue test- ing, screening and increasing environmental services, especially to our most valuable re- source: our committed staff. I'm also worried about the supply chain. We have already begun to experience backlogs and shortages of essential supplies again. Many manufacturers are down across the country and globally. is, too, will impact us over the winter season. Jamal Otula. COO of HRMD Management (Dallas, Texas): My biggest concerns include COVID-19 and the flu season, tight labor mar- ket with increased staffing costs and pending reduction of reimbursement by CMS. Curtis Collins. COO of Palmetto Surgery Center (Columbia, S.C.): My biggest concern with the winter months is the resurgence of COVID-19 with the two additional and more aggressive variants being transmitted. At Palmet- to Surgery Center, we relaxed our visitor policy for a very short time until the delta COVID-19 variant started spreading in South Carolina. We will be maintaining very stringent protocols as developed by our COVID-19 task force. n Geico sues 3 New Jersey ASCs, alleges $5.7M in fraudulent claims By Marcus Robertson C hevy Chase, Md.-based insurance company Geico is suing three New Jersey ASCs, citing more than $5.7 million in fraudulent insurance claims, according to court documents filed Sept 20. The suit filed in New Jersey District Court targets West Orange-based At- lantic Spine Center, Union-based Outpatient USA, and West Orange-based Advanced Spine and Outpatient Surgery Center, accusing them of filing over $5.7 million in thousands of fraudulent claims from 2014 to 2021. The suit alleges the ASCs filed claims for medically unnecessary services, includ- ing spinal surgery, anesthesia, pain management injections and other services. The services were purported to have been provided to car accident victims eligible for Geico no-fault insurance coverage, according to the lawsuit. Geico claims that police reports indicated many of the underlying accidents were low-impact, that the patients' vehicles were drivable afterward, and that no one was seriously injured, if at all. Six physicians operating out of the ASCs are included as defendants in the suit. n

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