Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1511473
16 ASC HOPDs still outpace ASCs for many common outpatient procedures By Claire Wallace E ven as the popularity of ASC procedures rise and the costs remain lower than hospital outpatient departments in most cases, hospital outpatient departments are still outpacing ASCs in the number of procedures performed, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate Blue Health Intelligence's "Rising Prices for Hospital Outpatient Care" brief, published in September. While most procedures are still more commonly performed at HOPDs, cataract surgeries proved to be the exception in 2022, with ASCs outpacing HOPDs by 69,060 procedures. e counts for six procedures performed at ASCs versus HOPDs in 2022: Mammography ASC: 1,086 HOPD: 3,069,370 Colonoscopy screening ASC: 62,768 HOPD: 85,295 Diagnostic colonoscopy ASC: 443,335 HOPD: 489,409 Cataract surgery ASC: 110,372 HOPD: 41,312 Ear tympanostomy ASC: 25,733 HOPD: 48,343 Clinic visit ASC: 8,672 HOPD: 6,485,708 n ASCs could have edge in race for anesthesia staff, 1 executive says By Claire Wallace P hysician shortages are prevalent in every healthcare specialty, causing worry for patients and executives alike. One major concern for practices is a decline in available anesthesia providers. Jack Dillon, CEO of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Anesthesia Practice Consultants, spoke with Becker's about the tight anesthesia labor market and why ASCs might have the upper hand when it comes to staff recruitment. Question: Are you currently concerned about the tight anesthesia labor market? Mr. Dillon: Extremely concerned. Anesthesia practices are struggling nationwide to hire staff as the desire to work has decreased and the number of rooms (anesthetizing locations) continues to climb. Groups need to get creative with how they are approaching recruitment and staffing. Q: Can ASCs stay competitive with hospitals and big health systems when it comes to finding and retaining skilled anesthesia specialists? JD: Absolutely. ASCs offer predictable hours and steady work to attract anesthesia staff. They're often better than hospitals and health systems. Q: Are you concerned or hopeful about legislation allowing broader scope of practice or less physician oversight for CRNAs? JD: Overall, we need to add more anesthesia staff to the workforce. That is the primary focus. n How one state is fighting scope creep By Claire Wallace T his year, the Medical Society of the State of New York collaborated with state officials to defeat 15 pieces of legislation that would expand the scope of practice for nurse practitioners and physician assistants, allowing them to practice without physician supervision, according to a Sept. 6 report from the American Medical Association. The group also fought to remove scope of practice expansions from a budget proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. New York was one of 15 states that introduced legislation that would allow pharmacists to test and treat patients over the counter without physician involvement. The medical society attributes its success fighting scope creep to a communications campaign supported by a grant from the AMA. The campaign also educated physicians on the benefits of physician-led, team-based care. Since 2007, the AMA scope of practice partnership coalition has awarded more than $3.5 million in grants to fund advocacy and awareness campaigns. New York's medical society used its grant to produce radio ads that played throughout the state, alerting voters to the scope of practice expansion proposals and calling out the differences in education and training between physicians and nonphysicians. The campaign against one bill that would allow psychologists to have conditional prescribing authority was also bolstered by a letter from the AMA's executive president to New York's legislative leaders. n