Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1468175
48 ASC The No. 1 ASC in 25 states By Marcus Robertson U CLA Health's Ambulatory Surgery Center Westwood in Los Angeles was ranked the top ASC in the country by Newsweek and global research firm Statista. Newsweek and Statista identified the best ASCs in the states with the most ASCs. e 2022 ranking took into account ASC quality data, how ASCs handled COVID-19 and surveys of ASC nurses, therapists, physicians, surgeons and administrators conducted from July to September. e proj- ect analyzed more than 4,600 ASCs. e top ASC in each of the 25 states includ- ed in the ranking: 1. Arizona: Mayo Clinic Building — Scottsdale 2. California: UCLA Health — Ambula- tory Surgery Center Westwood (Los Angeles) 3. Colorado: UCHealth Longs Peak Sur- gery Center (Longmont) 4. Florida: e Surgery Center at TBH Brandon Healthplex (Tampa) 5. Georgia: Emory Healthcare Ambulato- ry Surgery Center (Atlanta) 6. Illinois: Surgical Care Affiliates — Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery (Mokena) 7. Indiana: Community Health Network — Community Surgery Center South (Indianapolis) 8. Kansas: e University of Kansas Health System — KU MedWest Outpa- tient Surgery Center (Shawnee) 9. Louisiana: Ochsner Health — Outpa- tient Surgery Suite (Slidell) 10. Maryland: Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center — White Marsh (Nottingham) 11. Michigan: Northwest Michigan Surgery Center (Traverse City) 12. Minnesota: Surgical Care Affiliates — WestHealth Surgery Center (Plymouth) 13. Mississippi: Surgery Partners — Desoto Surgery Center (Southaven) 14. Missouri: e Surgical Center at Co- lumbia Orthopaedic Group 15. New Jersey: Saint Peter's Healthcare System — Cares Surgicenter (New Brunswick) 16. New York: Gramercy Surgery Center (New York City) 17. North Carolina: Capital City Surgery Center (Raleigh) 18. Ohio: Surgical Care Affiliates — Dublin Surgery Center 19. Oregon: East Portland Surgery Center 20. Pennsylvania: Wills Eye Surgical Network Northeast Philadelphia Surgery Center 21. South Carolina: Surgical Care Affiliates — e Surgery Center at Midlands Orthopaedics & Neurosurgery (Co- lumbia) 22. Tennessee: Physicians Surgery Center (Jackson) 23. Texas: Surgical Care Affiliates — Texas Health Surgery Center Rockwall 24. Washington: Providence Medical Park (Spokane Valley) 25. Wisconsin: Froedtert Surgery Center (Milwaukee) n Massachusetts surgery center nurse agrees to plea deal in fentanyl-tampering case By Patsy Newitt A nurse from an outpatient vascular surgery center in Berkley, Mass., has agreed to plead guilty in federal court to tampering with a consumer product, fentanyl intended for a patient, the Justice Department said March 4. Hugo Vieira, 41, is charged with removing fentanyl from vials for patients who were undergoing or recovering from surgery while working at the ASC and a Massachusetts hospital from December 2018 to January 2019. According to the charging documents, Mr. Vieira replaced the fentanyl with saline — 60 tampered vials were identified at the ASC and two vials at the hospital. Mr. Vieira agreed to plead guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product. The charge of tampering with a consumer product carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. n Colorado ASC, pain clinic to close amid staff shortages By Patsy Newitt R edlands Mesa Surgery Center and Colo- rado Injury and Pain Specialists in Grand Junction, Colo., will soon close their doors, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported March 26. The two businesses are in a building owned by Toledo, Ohio-based Deca Health. Deca Health "blindsided" staff at both businesses March 8 with an announcement that the surgery center will close April 1, with the pain clinic to follow April 8, according to the Sentinel. "The onset of COVID created a national crisis of shortage of health care workers and consequently burgeoning costs. For more than two years, we subsidized [Colorado Injury and Pain Specialists] to maintain care for our patients," Deca Health President William James told the Sentinel. n