This spring, Mann Cataract Surgery Center will start providing ophthalmology services to patients. The new facility will also offer up a welcoming, versatile, safe, and exciting environment for all who visit this Houston location.

When it comes to designing and opening up a new surgery center, a brand must think about accessibility, layouts, aesthetics, and function. There are certain materials to consider and guidelines to follow long before staff members can begin serving patients.

Missy Danforth of The Leapfrog Group explains the importance of quality measurement in ASCs.

In 2019, The Leapfrog Group launched an ambulatory surgery center survey, as well as a new section to its hospital survey over outpatient procedures. Missy Danforth, vice president of healthcare ratings, stressed the importance of using these quality measurement surveys. “We want to trigger giant leaps forward in the safety, quality and affordability of healthcare, specifically by using transparency to support informed decision making and value-based purchasing,” she said.

SCA offers a holistic approach to support physicians, patients and teammates.

Senior Division VP of Operations Trenton Mattison talks about AMSURG’s community-driven platform and new services the company is providing to the healthcare industry.

TASCS welcomes our new President, Dallas Freyer, RN, CASCS; Vice President, Maggie Jeffries, MD; and Treasurer, Adam Hornback, RN. 

Infection preventionist and medication safety experts spoke with TASCS members about the dangers of negligent injection practices and tips for safe injection practices.

Safe injection practices are a significant part of keeping patients safe, as they help prevent the spread of diseases, miscommunication in drug doses and the contamination of medications. “The primary objective in injection safety is preventing transmission of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency viruses,” Maggie Miller, an infection preventionist with ECRI, told Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) members during a recent virtual town hall. She also spoke to the more general significance and procedural standards for injection safety.

Cosentus associates talk about financial and technological changes that will begin in the new calendar year and how they will affect surgery centers.

Ambulatory Surgery Centers prepare for another cold season with this look back on lessons learned from Winter Storm Uri 2021. 

While the pandemic has led to a nursing shortage, it also reminded people of the importance of ambulatory surgery centers.

In August, Catherine Kane, clinical specialist at Pall Corporation, spoke to TASCS members about the dangers of surgical smoke in the operating room and how to deal with this hazard in surgery centers.

“Each year, an estimated 500,000 workers, including surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists and surgical technologists, are exposed to laser or electrosurgical smoke,” Kane said, citing OSHA.

International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) reminds us that while our industry was turned upside down and continues to be challenged by COVID-19, basic practices to prevent procedure- and surgical site-related infections remain critical to protecting patients and maintaining the reputation of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) as providers of safe, high-quality care.

Consider using this year's IIPW as an opportunity to put infection prevention and infection control in the spotlight in your ASC. Encourage staff members to take this week to further step up their infection prevention and control efforts and then hold themselves accountable to the highest level of performance in these areas going forward. Let's review some of the key facets of a successful ASC infection prevention and control program.

Last month, the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society hosted its annual conference in Fort Worth. For (10) years, TASCS has hosted this conference to educate and build connections within the healthcare community. This year, the conference faced a new challenge, with COVID and its variants, but the society made sure to provide masks, temperature-testing and other safety measures — including sponsor DisinfectWell’s disinfecting system — to create a comfortable environment for the 145 guests.

How important is an ASC administrator? For many surgery centers, they essentially fill the role of CEO. And depending upon the ASC, they could be the CEO of a multimillion-dollar company.

That's why it is imperative that the selection of an administrator is a decision that a center's management should not take lightly. The right administrator can help an ASC maximize its potential, delivering great care and outcomes for patients and a strong return on investment for owners. The wrong administrator can cause an ASC to struggle or even fail.

On August 19, three Modernizing Medicine associates spoke to Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society members about implicit bias in the healthcare system and how healthcare providers can work to narrow these inequities.

Julie Servoss, senior medical director of gastroenterology, Tacoma Perry, a medical consultant, and Michael Rivers, director of ophthalmology, began the conversation by contextualizing health inequities in the United States. Servoss talked about several areas of noticeable discrimination, including infant mortality rate and age-adjusted mortality rate. 

On July 22, Maryalice StClair, the chief commercial officer with Halosil International, spoke to TASCS members about eliminating pathogens in healthcare facilities. During her presentation, she explained the importance of having a simple and affordable solution at ambulatory surgery centers.

Halosil International was established in 2008, with a line of products that help decrease healthcare-associated infections. The company prides itself on having superior disinfection solutions that achieve a 6-log kill, meaning they are extremely effective at killing pathogens and reducing the risk of spread — even more so than competing technology, such as UV lights or electrostatic sprayers.

ImageFIRST Provides The Healthcare Industry With Laundering (& So Much More) 

Ambulatory surgery centers have been around since 1970, and National ASC Month is celebrated each year in August. During this time, facilities can boost awareness and help inform more people about the benefits of ASCs.

Robert Marinich is the head of sales at HST Pathways and has been working there for almost 10 years. During this time, he has fallen in love with the job and feels blessed to wake up every day, getting to help the healthcare industry with efficiency, cost-savings and so much more. “We care less about the politics and more about the client,” Marinich said. “And this client-first mentality is key to success.”

HST Pathways offers technological solutions and innovations for ambulatory surgery centers through several programs: case coordination, practice management and electronic health records. These programs work in tandem to create the ultimate experience for patient caregivers, and these three services bundled together computerize every step of the process to make for a more efficient facility that allows caregivers to spend more time with the patients and less time charting.

Facing a pandemic over this past year has been a whirlwind for the healthcare industry. Throughout all the problems that arose, though, people began to step up and go above and beyond in their healthcare roles. The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society sent out a survey to find out who members believe are emerging leaders in the surgery center community … caregivers and administrators alike, who truly stepped up and shined in their roles.

Three administrators stood out to the TASCS members as emerging leaders in the world of ambulatory care.

On June 24, Laura Schneider, the senior clinical director at AMSURG, explained some key issues and tips for running drills in ambulatory surgery centers. With over 40 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Schneider has dealt with most situations for which these drills are built to help staff be ready.

One of the biggest differences between hospitals and surgery centers is the amount of resources they have, so when ASCs are preparing for potential emergencies, it’s important that they allocate their resources and staff effectively. “There’s not always extra people around, so you’ve got to use your resources wisely,” Schneider said. “You want to make sure you’re prepared.”