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Key Trends
Impacting
ASC Growth
in 2014
By Scott Becker, JD, CPA, and Ellie Rizzo
A
s ASCs and ASC companies look to be-
come fiscally stronger and to continue
to grow, they will focus on their core
business but will also be more frenetic and aggres-
sive in looking at new profit areas. Here are three
things to consider.
1. Where it concerns new growth strategies, ASCs
are looking at hospital partnerships, new means to
employ physicians, IPA relationships, mergers to
combine centers, recovery care, bundled payment
initiatives and several other tactics. The somewhat
saturated ASC market and limited physician pools
make core same store growth difficult.
2. Cutting back is also increasingly a way by which
ASCs are better managing their financial pros-
pects. Reducing spending may include overhauls
of supply chain management, scheduling, staffing
and other areas. Staffing and supplies are the two
greatest expenses for ASCs, so prudent manage-
ment of these resources through appropriate
contracting and system and workflow analysis is
absolutely essential to long-term viability.
3. Remaining profitable is not without legal pit-
falls; there are emerging legal issues around share
redemptions, share sales and anesthesia. ASCs
must vigilant as to assuring legal compliance in
these three areas as they are being increasingly ad-
dressed in ways that differ significantly from the
past. ASCs must also keep a watchful legal eye out
with regards to HIPAA, billing and coding and
general compliance.
On a macro level, the ASC has been put in a more
public position as accountable care and the Patient
Protection and Affordable Act have highlighted the
ASC's ability to drive major cost savings. On this
front, states have begun to advance more legisla-
tion with ASCs in mind. Whether this legislation
is ultimately helpful or hurtful to ASC expansion
depends on the relative lobbying leverage ASC
owners and companies have within their state or
geographic region's particular political climate. n
ADVERTISING INDEX
Note: Ad page number(s) given in parentheses
abeo.
info@abeo.com / www.abeo.com/transcription / (888) 281-6187 (p. 21)
ACell.
vetinfo@acell.com / www.acell.com / (800) 826-2926 (p. 36)
Acumed.
info@acumed.net / go.acumed.net/asc-2 / (888) 627-9957 (p. 46)
Arthrex.
www.arthrex.com / (800) 933-7001 (p. 2)
Arthrosurface.
info@arthrosurface.com / www.arthrosurface.com / (508) 520-3003 (p. 25)
ASCOA.
blambert@ascoa.com / www.ascoa.com / (866) 982-7262 (p. 7)
ASCs Inc.
jonvick@ascs-inc.com / www.ascs-inc.com / (760) 751-0250 (p. 10, 11)
Constitution Surgery Centers.
www.cscus.net / (860) 667-1815 x334 (p. 40)
DePuy Synthes Select.
depuysynthesselect@synthes.com / (800) 523-0322 (p. 3)
EVEIA HEALTH Consulting & Management.
kristic@eveia.com / www.eveia.com / (425) 657-0494 (p. 56)
Experior.
sales@experior.com / www.experior.com / (800) 595-2020 (p. 62)
Facility Development & Management.
ehetrick@facdevmgt.com / www.facdevmgt.com / (845) 770-1883 (p. 30)
gMed.
www.gMed.com / (888) 577-8801 (p. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
in2itive.
terbert@in2itive.org / www.in2itive.org / (913) 344-7850 (p. 55)
MD Buyline.
http://www.mdbuyline.com / 800-375-5463 (p. 34)
Medline Industries, Inc.
service@medline.com /www.medline.com / (800) 633-5463 (p. 43)
Miraca Life Sciences.
www.miracalifesciences.com / (800) 979-8292 (p. 5)
National Medical Billing Services.
info@nationalascbilling.com / www.nationalascbilling.com / (636) 273-6711 (p. 8)
NextServices.
www.nextservices.com/ASC / (866) 362-6398 (p. 4)
Olympus.
www.medical.olympusamerica.com / (800) 401-1086 (p. 32, 33, 35 )
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
www.pacira.com / (973) 254-3560 (p. 22, 23)
Source Medical - ASC Billing Services.
info@sourcemed.net / www.sourcemed.net/7873 / (800) 719-1904 (p. 64)
Surgery Partners.
BusinessDevelopment@surgerypartners.com / www.SurgeryPartners.com / (p. 42, 45)
Surgical Management Professionals.
info@smpsd.com / www.smpsd.com / (605) 444-8297 (p. 37)
ADVERTISER
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go to www.BeckersASC.com
or e-mail Scott Becker at
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