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. 

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.

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

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.

Bartt Warner, director of compensation arrangements at VMG Health, and Dylan Alexander, manager for business valuation and transaction advisory at VMG Health, presented information to Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society members on May 27 about fair market value in the surgical center industry, as well as an Office of Inspector General opinion that speaks directly to ASC investment concerns.

VMG Health is a company that specializes in healthcare valuation, strategy and compliance. The company provides fair market value on all assets of the medical field, from equipment to physician salaries, and has developed experts to look at each component of the industry to satisfy customers’ total needs. It also helps with tailoring a compliance program specific to your organization that will ensure compliance with Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as other governmental regulations.

The History & The Future Of Ambulatory Surgery Centers

According to Texas Health & Human Services, there are 560 ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) — medical facilities specialized in elective, same-day and outpatient surgical procedures — in Texas. 

This year, in particular, keep in mind all that those in the field of nursing do for the world.

May 6 to May 12 is National Nurses Week, a week that many of us can relate to, as we each have stories and personal experiences regarding the dedication of nurses. A nurse myself, I first obtained my LVN license at 19 through the Army. Since, I have worked in skilled rehab, general surgery, telemetry, cardiac stepdown, IMCU, trauma ICU, PACU, PREOP, extended care and the operating room, as well as as a safety officer, director of nursing (ASC), nurse administrator (ASC), ASC developer and consultant. Nursing has taken me to places and offered me the opportunity to meet and help people that I could never have imagined.

This World Health Day, What Are You Doing To Build A Fairer, Healthier World?
By TASCS Board Member James McClung, Chief Development Officer of Reliant Medical Services

Capitol Day has been postponed to allow centers to recover from the impacts of the Winter Storm Uri. Because each center has been impacted in some way, we appreciate your input on when a new advocacy day would be convenient for your participation.

TAKE THE SURVEY

5 Physicians Endoscopy Partner Centers Receive APEX Quality Award

JAMISON, Pa., Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Five Physicians Endoscopy partner ambulatory surgery centers have received the 2020 National APEX Quality Award. The Endoscopy Center of Niagara, Laredo Digestive Health Center, Long Island Center for Digestive Health, PGC Center for Excellence, and South Broward Endoscopy Center were recognized as the highest performing healthcare facilities within their healthcare peer grouping. Awarded annually by SPH Analytics, recipients of the APEX Quality Award are determined solely by patient satisfaction measures. APEX, traditionally meaning highest point, is defined by SPH Analytics as "Attributes for Patient Excellence".

Pain Specialists of America appoints chief medical officer

Austin, Texas-based Pain Specialists of America named Pankaj Mehta, MD, as its chief medical officer, according to a Feb. 2 news release.

Dr. Mehta is a board-certified anesthesiologist who gained national recognition for his contributions to interventional pain medicine, the release said. He is a leader in pain management with a focus on spine pain, headaches, spinal stenosis, abdominal and pelvic pain. He trained at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, both in Boston, before completing a fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.

Smith+Nephew, Hall of Fame Health to partner on former NFL players’ wellness

February 1, 2021 By Sean Whooley

[Photo by Dave Adamson on Unsplash]

SUMMARY: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is amending its regulations to implement a new single-sheet format for DEA Form 222, used by DEA registrants to order schedules I and II controlled substances. The rule provides for a two-year transition period, during which the existing triplicate version of the forms may continue to be used. The rule also includes a number of minor procedural changes.

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/fed_regs/rules/2019/fr0930.htm

Texas announces COVID-19 vaccine allocation for week of Jan. 25

The state of Texas will receive 332,750 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government next week. The Texas Department of State Health Services has instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ship those doses to 212 providers across Texas. That includes 82 hub providers that will focus on larger community vaccination efforts and 130 additional providers as Texas continues to vaccinate health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, people 65 and older and those with medical conditions that put them at greater risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

Are you asking patients if they have had the COVID-19 vaccine?

Let us know! We appreciate your participation in our membership polls. Answer this quick question below. 

https://www.texasascsociety.org/are-you-asking-patients-if-they-have-had-the-covid-19-vaccine

2021 Payment Rules Affecting Pharmacy

As we move into the new outpatient/ambulatory payment year still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, navigating payment rules across sites of care and ensuring that pharmacy is in sync with their organization’s overall strategies are essential. Themes finalized in the rule sets are: embrace patient centricity, continue to simplify (electronic health record requirements and reporting, regulations), cut costs and save money, and not lose focus on pharmacy’s efforts to combat the opioid crisis.

2021 OPPS Effects