Since March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society wanted to share information on colorectal cancer, cancer of the colon or rectum, which is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

We spoke with Drs. Abrar Ahmed, Ben Kahn, and Christopher J. Vesy, all with the Texas Digestive Disease Consultants and Dallas Endoscopy Center.

The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) serves as the public policy advocate for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), outpatient facilities that provide same-day surgical care. 

Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) President Adam Hornback and Executive Director Krista DuRapau kicked off the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) tour season last week in Houston.

The first stop was Pulse Surgery Center to meet with Gaurav Aggarwala M.D. FSCAI, MBA, an interventional cardiologist and TASCS board member, and Caitlin Sims, the center’s administrator.

A Letter From Your TASCS President, Adam Hornback 

I hope everyone is having a great 2026. Last year, I know we were all busy with our centers, running wild to help patients get their procedures done before the fourth quarter, and then the holidays were here and gone. January started off at a fast pace, and the recent ice storms really didn’t help. I sympathize with everyone who had center closures and damage from the ice and freezing temperatures. I can tell you firsthand it affected me and my center. Hopefully that is the last of the bad weather for Texas, and we’ll just have to get prepared for the heat that inevitably comes in the summer. 

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, a time to learn about and educate others on glaucoma, an eye condition that damages the optic nerve and is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States. 

To find out more, the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society spoke with David Szynkarski, MD, MBA, an ophthalmologist at Mann Eye Institute in Houston, Texas.

While we can’t believe it’s already December, we wanted to take this moment to reflect on another successful year for the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS).

In February 2025, TASCS held its 2nd Annual Survey Readiness Workshop, providing insider tips from accreditation organizations, and its advocacy day at the Texas Capitol. Members had a full day of meetings with legislators, discussing the high-quality, low-cost procedures centers offer to patients, and February 25 was officially recognized as Ambulatory Surgery Center Awareness Day. 

Last month, Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) President Adam Hornback, BSN, RN and Executive Director Krista DuRapau welcomed new members and toured their centers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

The two started at Texas Vision & Laser Center (TVLC), where COO Bert Witherspoon, MS, MBA, FACHE met them with a warm welcome and took them through the center, which was undergoing a few renovations in the ORs. 

During National ASC Month, Dallas Endoscopy Center (DEC) had the pleasure of celebrating its 20-year anniversary by hosting two congressional offices for tours of the center: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and staff from Congresswoman Julie Johnson’s office. The event, with its over 100 guests, was a huge success for DEC, its dedicated team, and the thousands of patients who have been treated at this DFW facility.

Administrator Susan Cheek stated, "We love giving tours of our center and educating people about the high-quality, low-cost outcomes that ASCs provide."

The Laser Surgery Center (TLSC), which opened in 2023, is a single-specialty ophthalmology center, a closed system that belongs to an ophthalmology-only medical practice—Texas Vision & Laser Center (TVLC)—serving North Texas. 

The 2025 Annual Meeting was another great success! Many thanks to our speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees for participating. There was good food, there were good times with friends, and, as always, there was good information and networking. 

We look forward to continuing to unite the ASC industry throughout the rest of the year and to learning more together and from each other.

The Texas ASC Society is proud to introduce a new vendor member: Terminal Cleaning Services!

 

Terminal Cleaning Services (TCS) is redefining healthcare facility management. The company partners with the nation’s leading healthcare providers to elevate cleanliness standards and drive measurable improvements in patient satisfaction.

TCS supports ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) by terminally cleaning to Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), The Joint Commission, and Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) standards. The team ensures facilities remain audit-ready through detailed compliance binders and proactive account management. Additionally, TCS provides floor maintenance services such as scrubbing, waxing, and burnishing. 

The Texas ASC Society was pleased to show THCIC reps an ambulatory surgery center just outside of Austin, Texas. 

Last week, the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) toured Cedar Park Surgery Center with Texas Health Care Information Collection (THCIC) representatives: Director Tarik Brown and Training Specialist Tiffany Overton.

Texas Health Surgery Center Cleburne's Landon Welch is now part of the Texas ASC Society's board!

The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center is proud to introduce a new board member, Landon Welch, MHA, LNFA.

Welch started his career as a patient transporter at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and after graduate school, he became a licensed nursing home administrator in Houston, Texas. In 2019, he transitioned to the ambulatory setting and currently works with SCA Health, where he is the CEO of Texas Health Surgery Center Cleburne.  

Every year, the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) gathers the ambulatory care industry together at its annual conference, and this year, the education, networking, learning, and best practices will take place at The San Luis Resort, Spa and Conference Center in Galveston, Texas. 

The Dallas Endoscopy Center (DEC) never slows down! 

This summer, they opened their new center.

Welcome, Chris Kralik of the Digestive Health Center of Plano and Allen, to the TASCS Board!

The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society is excited to welcome Chris Kralik, BSN, RN, CGRN to our board! You may remember Kralik from last year’s Membership Monday on one of his centers or as a speaker at this year’s Annual Conference. 

Ambulatory surgery centers need to have solutions in place that help provide security and operational resilience.

As the medical industry continues to evolve, some things are constant, such as the human body’s need for qualified care and the use of technology to help accomplish this. The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society had a thought-provoking and informative town hall with Medigate by Claroty, discussing the integration of the healthcare field and the world of cybersecurity.

Kayla Schneeweiss-Keene of the Mann Eye Institute is now a TASCS board member!

The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society is proud to have Kayla Schneeweiss-Keene as a new board member.

In the past few years, everyone has felt the adverse effects of supply chain issues and product shortages. How is this affecting the ambulatory care industry, and what can ASC professionals do to combat these problems?

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, we saw a limited number of go-to items, ranging from stores running out of toilet paper to healthcare facilities running out of face masks. Fast forward a couple of years, and we are noticing other products being out of stock and/or taking longer to ship to us, and this includes pharmaceuticals.

At the time of writing, the list of FDA Drug Shortages includes 122 medications, while the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Drug Shortages List has 223.