Text messaging has become one of the most important communication mechanisms for ASCs. It's a fast, efficient, cost-effective, and highly successful way to get timely messages to patients and their caregivers, staff and physicians, and vendors. Given the rise of spam calls, which are motivating more people to ignore incoming calls and voicemails from numbers they do not recognize, texting is a communication mechanism increasingly preferred by the public. 

That's good news for ASCs already using or planning to add texting capabilities. Text messaging can be leveraged to communicate with stakeholders on a variety of financial, clinical, and operational issues. In fact, it can be used in many ways ASCs are often not taking advantage of — applications that go well beyond standard uses like appointment reminders and arrival and check-in instructions. 

Get a brief look into the updates on reporting for ASCs, as delivered by Gina Throneberry of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association. 

Thank you to all of those that joined our Virtual Town Hall on December 8! For those of  you who were not able to attend, Gina Throneberry, RN, MBA, CASC, CNOR, Director of  Education and Clinical Affairs at Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), joined us and was able to provide a wealth of information on regulatory and quality measure reporting for ASCs. 

Below you will find an overview of the updates and helpful links from the presentation: 

A recent virtual event for the Texas ASC community covered explanation of benefit forms, including the components and best practices.

Often referred to as 835, 837, or 5010 files, Explanation of Benefit forms (EOBs) are statements commonly sent to covered individuals and providers from clearing houses. Acuet RCM: Revenue Cycle Management & Consulting representatives –  Founder and President Michael Orseno and  Revenue Cycle Manager Margo Hagiu – explained each component of EOBs and best practices at a recent Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) town hall.

What are the components of an EOB?

Explanation of Benefits forms are composed of the following items: payee, patient information, service performed, date of service, CPT codes, denial codes, service location, billed charges fee, insurance allowable, co-insurance, adjustment reasons and/or codes & remarks, and a brief explanation of adjustment codes. The allowable amount is your contracted amount for the code shown. It is followed by the breakdown of that amount.

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. 

The director of pharmacy at St. David’s spoke about how pharmacy management can help lead ambulatory surgery centers to success. 

Pharmacy management is a key component to ambulatory surgery centers. It offers centers a guide on realistic ways to comply with regulations and helps improve efficiency with medication processes. That efficiency gives nurses more time at the patient’s bedside to give them the high-quality care they deserve. Amy Jones of Jones Premier Pharmacy Consulting and the director of pharmacy at St. David's South Austin Medical Center spoke to TASCS members about how pharmacy management can improve multimodal pain management, infection prevention, and patient satisfaction.

The pain experience for patients is complex, Jones said, and so surgery centers need to incorporate multiple pathways to relieve pain. ASCs should consider pharmaceutical, non-pharmaceutical, and even environmental methods, such as dimming lights to help make patients more comfortable.

How the No Surprises Act affects ambulatory surgery centers + Ways to navigate the changes

The No Surprises Act has changed how medical professionals work and care for their patients. Chris Finelli, HST Pathways’ vice president of business development, shared with the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) the main attributes of the act that went into effect on January 1, 2022.  

Clinical Pathology Associates covered ways to create positive connections with path/lab centers, in order to create quality care for patients.

The relationship between ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and laboratory / pathology centers is crucial to providing the best service to patients. Matt Thompson, CEO of Clinical Pathology Associates, met with Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) members to share key points on what to look for when selecting the best lab and path centers for partnership.

In a recent town hall, TASCS members collaborated to provide the best advice for growth in the ambulatory care industry.

The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) has seen significant growth and success in its ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Because of this, members recently collaborated on a checklist and template that supports ASCs as they embark on a journey of growing, expanding, and building new facilities.

Due to the demands that come with running an ambulatory surgery center (ASC), the Texas ASC Society will be hosting an afternoon of networking and learning, specifically for these healthcare professionals. 

The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society’s (TASCS) annual conference is all about providing education, networking, learning, and marketing opportunities to the ambulatory surgery center industry, and we want to make sure all new ASC administrators have the tools and knowledge needed to succeed.

This summer, TASCS is visiting ambulatory surgery centers throughout Texas. The goal is to learn even more about these facilities and, by shining an even brighter spotlight on them, to continue spreading awareness about the growing ASC industry. 

TASCS is hosting its annual conference in August, in order to help educate and inspire members of the ambulatory surgery industry.

The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) has spent over 10 years bringing healthcare professionals together, providing them with educational information, networking opportunities, and updates on ambulatory surgery center (ASC) developments. This year, attendees can pack their favorite Hawaiian shirts for the TASCS annual conference, taking place at Margaritaville Lake Resort in Lake Conroe from August 22 to 24.

The conference will feature several opportunities for continuing education credits for AEUs, ICPs, and CNEs, as well as offer panels over accreditation, healthcare policies, leadership in surgery centers, and more.

This tropical-inspired getaway will serve as the backdrop for the only event dedicated to ASCs in Texas. Before, after, and throughout the conference, attendees can enjoy the sights and spots offered up by Montgomery, Houston, and beyond.

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 marketing opportunities will take place at Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe | Houston.

This summer, TASCS will be visiting ambulatory surgery centers throughout the great state of Texas. The goal is to learn even more about these facilities, including the procedures that are performed there and the healthcare professionals who work there. By shining an even brighter spotlight on ASCs, TASCS continues to spread awareness about the benefits of this booming industry. 

The first stop on the TASCS Summer Road Trip Series was North Pines Surgery Center in Conroe, Texas. Here, TASCS Executive Director Krista DuRapau and Membership & Events Manager Jennifer Schlabach met with Tammy Stanfield, the facility’s administrator and a TASCS member.

OnHand’s president explained supply chain disruptions since the pandemic and how healthcare systems can adapt in the future to help combat this problem.

When COVID-19 began to run rampant in 2020, the healthcare system struggled to handle the pandemic’s force. “I joke with people often that a couple years ago, before the pandemic, not many people thought much about supply chain, and now, it’s all anybody can think about,” said Nate Mickish, president of OnHand and vice president of Texas Health Resources. From nurses to masks, everything was in shortage, and vendors and providers alike were scrambling to offer healthcare workers everything they needed to stay safe on the job.

“We may have missed savings goals, we have not gotten all the contracts implemented that we want, but we kept people safe.” Mickish said. “That was the most important metric we could have met in 2020.”

Texas Health Care Information Collection explains how to report data and offers resources that allow ASCs to submit the most accurate information.

The Texas Health Care Information Collection (THCIC) collects data and reports on healthcare activities, in order to provide patients with information about the cost and quality of healthcare in Texas. All ambulatory surgery centers in the state are required to report data related to revenue, services, and procedures. Tiffany Overton, training specialist for THCIC, went over the schedule for data reporting with TASCS members, as well as the significance of submitting timely and accurate information.

Clinical training sites offer an array of benefits for students and ambulatory surgery centers: Aspiring healthcare workers earn needed hours and experience, while ASCs help build up the industry, which, in turn, provides even more high-quality care to patients in Texas. 

The benefits of being active online include driving more traffic to your website, building up trust, staying current on industry news, and so much more.

LinkedIn got its official start in 2003, Facebook has been around since 2004, Twitter launched in 2006, and Instagram came about in 2010. Since then, the world has not been the same, as we are more engaged and connected than ever before.

Some turn to these sites to share life updates or to stay in touch with friends and family across the world, while businesses and associations can be enhanced through social media. In fact, there is NO reason a brand SHOULDN’T be on at least one of these platforms.

DisinfectWell CEO and Integrated Viral Protection COO provided infection prevention steps and tools ASCs can utilize.

As the pandemic continues to fluctuate, infection prevention remains at the top of the list in the healthcare industry, and DisinfectWell CEO Rodrigo Zurita spoke to TASCS members on this topic, focusing on surgery centers.

OnHand President Nate Mickish explains the growth of OnHand and its compatibility with surgery centers in the evolving ASC market.

Nate Mickish has been with Texas Health Resources (THR) since 2013, and he started out building up supply chain management of non-acute care sites. As the program grew to over 300 facilities, Mickish and his team realized they could expand their work to help benefit even more centers. Thus, OnHand, one of THR’s joint ventures, was born in 2016, with a goal of offering supply chain solutions to lower costs, increase efficiency and strengthen clients’ revenues.

The Vice President of Connected Care at HST Pathways explains the No Surprises Act and best practices to help surgery centers stay compliant.

On January 1, 2022, the No Surprises Act (NSA) took effect across the nation after bipartisan approval from Congress in December 2020. This new law establishes several requirements to enhance patient rights and eliminate surprise healthcare billing.

Through the NSA, surgery centers are considered “convening providers,” which means someone must coordinate how to obtain the cost for all providers working on a patient and show that estimate to the patient.