ASCA Member Appreciation Week

This week is all about you, our members. We’re thankful for your membership. You deserve a round of applause. This week we are celebrating you!

Save the Date06/17/2019 06/21/2019 America/New York ASCA Member Appreciation Week Please visit the ASCA website for a chance to win daily giveaways, participate in polls, be featured in our daily member spotlight, and much more.

This week is all about you, our members. We’re thankful for your membership. You deserve a round of applause. This week we're celebrating you!

This week is all about you, our members. We’re thankful for your membership. You deserve a round of applause. This week we are celebrating you!

This week is all about you, our members. We’re thankful for your membership. You deserve a round of applause. This week we're celebrating you!

About

Welcome to ASCA's second annual Member Appreciation Week, Monday, June 17–Friday, June 21, 2019. This week is all about celebrating you, our members! During this week, members will be able to enjoy special sales, member profiles, giveaways and more.

Play the ASCA Spin to Win Prize Wheel daily for your chance to win!

Grand Prizes include:

A complimentary 2020 ASCA facility membership renewal
A complimentary registration to the ASCA 2020 Conference & Expo, May 13-16 in Orlando, Florida
A complimentary registration to the ASCA 2020 Winter Seminar, January 16-18 in New Orleans, Louisiana
A complimentary subscription to the ASCA 2020 Clinical & Operational Benchmarking Survey

Daily prizes include:

$25 Amazon Gift Card
$25 off your 2020 facility membership renewal
A discounted ASCA Career Center posting
A complimentary copy of Finance & Accounting for ASCs, 4th Edition

Grand Prize winners will be announced on Wednesday, June 26. Check back here daily throughout the week for the latest updates and chances to win.

Monday, June 17

Monday,
June 17

Thank you for connecting with us!

Staying up to date with ASCA is a vital part of your ASCA membership. We constantly and consistently update you, our members, with important information on the ASCA website and through email.

Did you know ASCA has a social media presence? Follow ASCA on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up to date on happenings in the ASC industry and the events of Member Appreciation Week—including special sales and discounts offered only through social media!

And don’t forget about ASCA Connect. Contribute to the conversation on ASCA Connect.

Tuesday, June 18

Tuesday,
June 18

Thank you for serving!

ASCA would like to thank all of our members who have volunteered their time and expertise serving on committees and task forces. Through their efforts, ASCA is stronger and better able to serve the many needs of our members. Volunteers play a tremendous role across all ASCA programs and services. We are always in need of new energy and talent to help. If you are interested in giving back to the ASC community, please complete ASCA’s Volunteer Interest Form.

If you have any questions, please contact Steve Miller at smiller@ascassociation.org.

Wednesday, June 19

Wednesday,
June 19

Thank you for supporting the ASC community!

Thanks to our ASC community advocates, our industry has gained recognition from both local and federal lawmakers. In the past three years, more than 400 ASCA members have participated in National Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, and more than 150 have hosted facility tours for key policymakers. Because of the efforts and commitment from community advocates, the ASC industry has continued to provide cost-efficient, high-quality healthcare to millions of America’s patients.

Learn more about hosting a facility tour.
Learn more about participating in National Advocacy Day, September 24.
Learn more about celebrating National ASC Month this August.
Complete ASCA’s Volunteer Interest Form.

Thursday, June 20

Thursday,
June 20

Thank you for giving back to the world!

The ASCA Foundation has partnered with One World Surgery, a U.S.-based nonprofit, to support its mission of providing access to high-quality surgical care globally. Through this partnership, the ASCA Foundation launched a Medical Mission Scholarship Program for nurses, surgical techs and scrub techs interested in One World Surgery’s week-long medical missions at the Holy Family Surgery Center in Honduras. Each scholarship covers the program fees associated with participating in the medical mission, as well as roundtrip coach airfare for the participant. Learn more and apply.

Friday, June 21

Friday,
June 21

Thank you!

Simply put, we thank you for your commitment to the industry and to ASCA!

Official Game Rules

Congratulations to Last Year's Winners!

$25 Amazon Gift Card:

Mary Lee Barnes, SurgiCenter of Murfreesboro Medical Clinic; Louise Blush, Advanced Family Surgery Center; Cheryl Carpenter, Sterling Surgical Center, LLC; Joseph DAgostino, ASCP; Terrie Dean, Hattiesburg Clinic Ambulatory Surgery Center; Tracie Hark, Northeast Missouri Ambulatory Surgery Center; Kasandra Hopkins, Northway Surgery and Pain Center; Danielle Johnsen, Surgicenter of Norfolk; Kathleen Kendrick, Syracuse Endoscopy Associates; Karen Martin, Surgery Center of Viera; Lisa McCloskey, Dutchess Ambulatory Surgical Center, LLC; Kelley Oglesby, Ambulatory Surgery Center Spartanburg; Cori Prisco, Hudson Crossing Surgery Center; Toni Rambeau, SurgCenter of Silver Spring; Kim Smith, SCTC

Complimentary 2019 Annual Meeting Registration:

Anne Haddix, Southwest Surgical Suites; Sandy Morone, Milton Hall Surgery Center

Complimentary 2019 Winter Seminar Registration:

Lindsey Beckstrand, Ophthalmology Limited Eye Surgery Center; Kathy Riley, Surgical Center of Greater Annapolis

$25 Off 2019 Membership Renewal:

Michael Chang, Huntington Ambulatory Surgery Center; Tracy Hoeft-Hoffman, Heartland Surgery Center; Karen Magers, Bloomington Eye Institute; Amber Reynolds, Northland Eye Surgery Center; Kathy Riley, Surgical Center of Greater Annapolis; Kim Ring, Southwest Endoscopy; Beth Russell, Knoxville Orthopaedic Surgery Center; Kim Smith, The Surgical Center of the Treasure Coast; Jon Van Valkenburg, Upstate Orthopedics Ambulatory Surgery Center; Mimi Williams, Northridge Facial Plastic Surgery Medical Group

Grand Prize Winners

Complimentary 2019 ASCA Clinical & Operational Benchmarking Survey Subscription:

Anne Miller, East Paris Surgical Center

Complimentary 2019 ASCA Membership Renewal + $100 Gift Card:

Tammy Cox, Fairlawn Surgery Center

Thank you!

Thank you for your membership and for making the 2019 Membership Appreciation Week a success!

Congratulations to This Year's Winners!

$25 Amazon Gift Card:

Hae Lin Retz, Hickory Ridge Surgery Center
Linda Bravyak, Pocono Ambulatory Surgery Center
Laura Murphy, Advanced Ambulatory Surgery Center
Julian Ordonez, Unity Physician Services
Tracy McGeorge, Southwest Idaho Surgery Center
Vicki Daniels, Doctors' Park Surgery
Jackie Strozyk, Sterling Surgical Center
Kristen Kline, Berks Urologic Surgery Center
Holly Harper, Spokane Valley ASC
Tracie Hark, Northeast Missouri ASC
Nancy Haskell, Capitol City Surgery Center
Patricia Churchwell, Premier Healthcare Consulting
Allison Wakeland, Riverwalk Ambulatory Surgery Center
Tracy McGeorge, Southwest Idaho Surgery Center
Heather Smith, ParkWest Surgery Center
Mary McDonald, Executive Surgery Center
Joy Schunhoff, ENT of South Georgia Surgery Center
Stella Zagata-Fee, Ambulatory Center for Endoscopy
Kristin Daniels, Eye Surgery Center
Kristen Kline, Berks Urologic Surgery Center
Kolette Al-Jamal, St Joseph’s Outpatient Surgery Center, USPI
Allison Griffin, Urology Surgery Center of Savannah
Hope Sippel, Hyde Park Surgical Center
Tabitha Northrup, Washington Orthopaedic Center
Tracy Dennis, The Eye Surgery Center of the Carolinas

Hae Lin Retz
Hickory Ridge Surgery Center

Linda Bravyak
Pocono Ambulatory Surgery Center

Laura Murphy
Advanced Ambulatory Surgery Center

Julian Ordonez
Unity Physician Services

Tracy McGeorge
Southwest Idaho Surgery Center

Vicki Daniels
Doctors' Park Surgery

Jackie Strozyk
Sterling Surgical Center

Kristen Kline
Berks Urologic Surgery Center

Holly Harper
Spokane Valley ASC

Tracie Hark
Northeast Missouri ASC

Nancy Haskell
Capitol City Surgery Center

Patricia Churchwell
Premier Healthcare Consulting

Allison Wakeland
Riverwalk Ambulatory Surgery Center

Tracy McGeorge
Southwest Idaho Surgery Center

Heather Smith
ParkWest Surgery Center

Mary McDonald
Executive Surgery Center

Joy Schunhoff
ENT of South Georgia Surgery Center

Stella Zagata-Fee
Ambulatory Center for Endoscopy

Kristin Daniels
Eye Surgery Center

Kristen Kline
Berks Urologic Surgery Center

Kolette Al-Jamal
St Joseph’s Outpatient Surgery Center, USPI

Allison Griffin
Urology Surgery Center of Savannah

Hope Sippel
Hyde Park Surgical Center

Tabitha Northrup
Washington Orthopaedic Center

Tracy Dennis
The Eye Surgery Center of the Carolinas

$25 Off 2020 Facility Membership Renewal:

Cambria Krovic, Ophthalmology Surgery Center
Christopher Proper, Desert Cliffs Surgery Center
Allison Griffin, Urology Surgery Center of Savannah
Dianna Freeman, Texas Midwest Surgery Center
Pamela Lemons, Tupelo Surgery Center
Denise Mente, ICASC
Barbara Getlan, Dulaney Eye Insitutue
Scott Bunch, Northwest Plaza ASC
Ashley Copas, Tallahassee Memorial Center for Pain Management
Thelma Perez, Lake Jackson Endoscopy Center
Joseph Levy, AMSURG
Celia Dokas, Azura Vascular Care
Lana Seibert, Evansville Surgery Center
Amy Miller, Parkway Surgery Center
Kim Smith, Surgical Center of the Treasure Coast
Leigh Patnode, Lindsay House Surgery Center
Jon Van Valkenburg, Upstate Orthopedics Ambulatory Surgery Center
Sandy Mader, High Pointe Surgery Center
Tracy McGeorge, Southwest Idaho Surgery Center
Joleen Harrison, Mankato Surgery Center
Rene Younce, Riverwalk Ambulatory Surgery Center
Annette Palm, Texas Health Craig Ranch Surgery Center
Helena Crabtree, Wilson Surgicenter
Monica Breckenridge, SCA

Cambria Krovic
Ophthalmology Surgery Center

Christopher Proper
Desert Cliffs Surgery Center

Allison Griffin
Urology Surgery Center of Savannah

Dianna Freeman
Texas Midwest Surgery Center

Pamela Lemons
Tupelo Surgery Center

Denise Mente
ICASC

Barbara Getlan
Dulaney Eye Insitutue

Scott Bunch
Northwest Plaza ASC

Ashley Copas
Tallahassee Memorial Center for Pain Management

Thelma Perez
Lake Jackson Endoscopy Center

Joseph Levy
AMSURG

Celia Dokas
Azura Vascular Care

Lana Seibert
Evansville Surgery Center

Amy Miller
Parkway Surgery Center

Kim Smith
Surgical Center of the Treasure Coast

Leigh Patnode
Lindsay House Surgery Center

Jon Van Valkenburg
Upstate Orthopedics Ambulatory Surgery Center

Sandy Mader
High Pointe Surgery Center

Tracy McGeorge
Southwest Idaho Surgery Center

Joleen Harrison
Mankato Surgery Center

Rene Younce
Riverwalk Ambulatory Surgery Center

Annette Palm
Texas Health Craig Ranch Surgery Center

Helena Crabtree
Wilson Surgicenter

Monica Breckenridge
SCA

Complimentary Copy of Finance & Accounting for ASCs, 4th Edition:

Rebekah Wilhelm, Unity Physician Services
Anthony Harden, Campbell Surgery Center
Nicole Short, The Urology Center

Rebekah Wilhelm
Unity Physician Services

Anthony Harden
Campbell Surgery Center

Nicole Short
The Urology Center

Discounted ASCA Career Center Posting:

Leslie Lamb, THR/STT Rockwall ASC
Kari Stewart, Pasadena Plastic Surgery Center

Leslie Lamb
THR/STT Rockwall ASC

Kari Stewart
Pasadena Plastic Surgery Center

A Message from ASCA's CEO & Membership Chair

Daily Poll

Member Focus

Member Focus invites ASCA members to express their views on key ASC issues. Share your perspective with your colleagues and get to know your peers in the ASC community.

Arnaldo Valedon, MD

Title: Medical Director
Name of ASC: First Colonies Anesthesia Associates
City: Reisterstown
State: Maryland
How long has your facility been an ASCA member? Five or more years

What do you deem to be the most valuable part of ASCA annual conferences?

I consider the ASCA meeting to be the premier conference to attend in the outpatient care industry. The number of opportunities to engage with other members in the community is quite extensive and the depth of learning provided is outstanding. In addition, the camaraderie and relationship building available is unsurpassed. The most valuable part as a physician attending the conference is keeping a finger on the pulse of regulations and salient administrative issues in the industry.

Want to be the next featured member?

Answer one or both of the next questions:
What QAPI studies have you done at your center and have they improved your ASC’s quality outcomes?

How do you deal with a patient who checks in unaccompanied?

Member Focus

Member Focus invites ASCA members to express their views on key ASC issues. Share your perspective with your colleagues and get to know your peers in the ASC community.

Cindy Young, RN, CASC

Title: Administrative Director
Name of ASC: Surgery Center of Farmington
City: Farmington
State: Missouri
How long has your facility been an ASCA member? Five or more years

How do you train your coders and keep up with the evolving codes?

We send our business office manager and coder to the ASCA Winter Seminar each year, as well as have them attend ASCA webinars on coding during the year. We purchase new CPT/HPCS and ICD-10 coding books for our biller/coder, which has all the updates and changes each year. Once every year, we have a professional coding audit performed on random charts. When the results of the audit come back, our management meets with the biller/coder to review and learn from the results.

Does your ASC have a policy on pre-employment drug testing?

Yes, every candidate must pass a pre-employment drug screening prior to being considered for employment.

Want to be the next featured member?

Answer one or both of the next questions:
What QAPI studies have you done at your center and have they improved your ASC’s quality outcomes?
How do you deal with a patient who checks in unaccompanied?

Member Focus

Member Focus invites ASCA members to express their views on key ASC issues. Share your perspective with your colleagues and get to know your peers in the ASC community.

Maura Dent Cash, RN, CASC

Title: Director of Clinical Applications
Name of Organization: HSTpathways
City: Lafayette
State: California
How long has your facility been an ASCA member? Five or more years

What is your ASC doing to counter the national opioid crisis?

To facilitate a patient’s transition from the postop area to home without delay, ASCs often use less long-acting anesthesia and fewer opioids during surgery and the immediate postoperative period than hospitals. Toward this end, I am seeing more and more ASCs using adjunct pain relief methods as a matter of routine. Instead of waiting for pain to start in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), anesthesia providers often give doses of acetaminophen IV and other non-opioid medications to certain surgery patients at the end of the procedure in the operating room. Having been at the forefront for finding alternatives, ASCs have used creative ideas to combat pain because of the necessity for short stays and concerns for the safety of patients (i.e., not just loading them up with opioids and sending them out the door).

ASCs also achieve effective analgesia using regional anesthesia techniques in conjunction with non-opioid therapies. These postoperative pain blocks give patients immediate pain relief that will wear off gradually over several hours, decreasing the need for opioids in the immediate postoperative period. Hospitals are less focused on these alternatives since patients will not be discharged home immediately postop. Non-medication remedies cannot be overlooked. Ice packs, positioning and positioning aids, breathing and meditation techniques and distraction should also be included in post-operative care and discharge instructions.

Want to be the next featured member?

Answer one or both of the next questions:
What QAPI studies have you done at your center and have they improved your ASC’s quality outcomes?

How do you deal with a patient who checks in unaccompanied?

Member Focus

Member Focus invites ASCA members to express their views on key ASC issues. Share your perspective with your colleagues and get to know your peers in the ASC community.

Brenda Page, RN, MBA

Title: Director
Name of ASC: Carolina Center for Specialty Surgery
City: Charlotte
State: North Carolina
How long has your facility been an ASCA member? Five or more years

What method(s) does your ASC use to place orders for materials?

Our part-time X-ray tech does most of the ordering. She walks around the center and checks volumes as we don't have tons of storage. Staff also emails her if they realize we need a special order or are short of an item. She orders primarily from Medline or the hospital distribution center.

The consulting pharmacist orders all drugs. Front desk staff orders office supplies, such as coffee, paper plates, notebooks, etc. Two OR nurses are responsible for any podiatry or ortho implants. The director requests invoices and replace for all the neurosurgery implants as most are consigned.

The system is somewhat fragmented but it works. We rarely run out of materials and so far have been able to get by without a materials manager.

Want to be the next featured member?

Answer one or both of the next questions:
What are your top three tips for timely patient collections?

Do you routinely perform EKGs on select patients in your facility prior to their procedure?

Member Focus

Member Focus invites ASCA members to express their views on key ASC issues. Share your perspective with your colleagues and get to know your peers in the ASC community.

Kris Sabo

Title: Executive Director/Administrator
Name of ASC: Pend Oreille Surgery Center
City: Ponderay
State: Idaho
How long has your facility been an ASCA member? Five or more years

What technological advancement has made the biggest difference during your career?

Love it or hate it, an integrated practice management (PM)/electronic medical records (EMR) system is by far the greatest technological advancement in my career.

I remember the days of pulling charts, piling them up and pushing them on a cart to the conference room for physician peer review. Same process for chart audits where I would have stacks of charts around my desk as I prepared reports on anything from pathology and surveillance reporting to implant tracking. Storing paper charts also was a headache. All that wasted real estate that could have been used for office space. Business office and medical records staff are now able to work on patient records, which are all at their fingertips.

Yes, electronic PM and EMR software has definitely made the biggest difference in my opinion.

Want to be the next featured member?

Answer one or both of the next questions:
What are your top three tips for timely patient collections?

Do you routinely perform EKGs on select patients in your facility prior to their procedure?

What Our Members Say

Years ago when I became an ASC administrator, ASCA offered the resources I needed most to help me become acclimated with the ASC industry. The advocacy benefits along with ASCA Connect are by far my favorite ASCA benefits. ASCA Connect gives you the ability to get insight from hundreds of other ASC professionals. In my experience, 99 percent of the time someone else in the ASCA Connect community has an answer to your question. You may not need to know something every day, but when you do need something, someone at ASCA has the answer!

—Tracy Hoeft Hoffman, MBA, MSN, RN, CASC, Heartland Surgery Center

I became an ASCA member because I felt that membership in any industry’s national association provides a level of credibility to your own organization. ASCA provides resources a stand-alone facility could not find on its own and gives our ASC a venue for supporting the entire industry through its advocacy efforts. ASCA serves as the primary source for accurate and timely information on changes in reimbursement, governmental regulations and trends affecting the ASC industry as a whole. ASCA has also provided me an opportunity to give back to the industry by allowing me to serve on various committees. In the process, I have met some very strong and knowledgeable leaders who directly helped me in my role as an administrator.

—Dianne Appleby, RN, BSM, MBA, Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin

I am new to the ASC arena with only 10 months as an administrator. Prior to this, I have been active in the inpatient side and, boy, is there such a difference in the two worlds! I was thrilled to hear about an ASC organization that just focuses on ASCs, so I joined ASCA right away. I have never been happier with a decision I have made. I love the ASCA community and have learned so much just reading what others have posted. I love that the organization knows what is happening to changes made by Medicare, Congress, insurers, etc. When a change happens, ASCA is on it and sending out why it impacts us. As a new member, I know there is quite a bit more for me to learn but I am confident that I am not alone in my search for more knowledge.

—Christine Blackburn, BSN, RN, CNOR, South Kansas City Surgicenter

I am the group administrator over several facilities; I use ASCA as a learning tool for my staff. I ask them to join ASCA Connect and have them comb through the website to learn the industry and get acclimated with knowledge that they need, whether it be current events, Medicare reimbursement, regulatory compliance, etc. Although I have been a member for more than 20 years, I still use the ASCA website as my go-to. As an ASCA member, you can develop a lot of good relationships and the education and connections you get from webinars and in-person meetings are above and beyond the cost of membership alone.

—Donna Smith, MT, CASC, Surgical Care Affiliates