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.

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.

Adam Hornback, the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society’s treasurer, attended The ASC Nurse Leadership Conference, where he picked up some useful tips and tricks during the educational and engaging event.

Last month, Progressive Surgical Solutions hosted The ASC Nurse Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas. TASCS treasurer, Adam Hornback, attended the conference, which worked to bring three critical elements together: ambulatory surgery centers, nurses, and leadership. “At Progressive, we understand that ASC nurse leaders play a vital role in the overall success of your organization,” the brand’s website states. Therefore, the event helps nurses grow and improve processes, as well as maintain compliance and better support teams during these uncertain times.

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.

Ambulatory surgery centers are urged to focus on standardization and reducing risks, in order to help increase the level of high-quality, cost-effective care.

The Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies over 2,200 healthcare organizations, has been around for 70 years. For the past 47 years, though, it has specifically been serving ambulatory surgery centers. Recently, Valerie Henry, the commission’s business development manager of ambulatory care services, spoke with TASCS members on the “commitment to meeting certain performance standards.”

Texas Health and Human Services explains how to meet the requirements of SB 809, so ASCs can properly report on emergency health funds procured during the pandemic.

During the 87th Texas legislative session, Senate Bill 809 passed, which requires several healthcare institutions to report emergency funds for COVID-19, as well as how much has been spent related to the public health emergency. Texas Health and Human Services’ senior financial analyst for hospital finance, Tori Ponson, and the organization’s senior financial analyst for acute care, Mohib Nawab, went over this new bill and its requirements with TASCS members.

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.

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

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.

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.”

After over a year of virtual meetings during the pandemic, the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society got back to in-person events on June 23. The event, held at Austin Eastciders, was the first stop on TASCS’s Member Networking Texas Tour, which safely helps the healthcare community network.

In attendance was Woody Moore, the founder of this organization, who said he was proud of TASCS executive director Krista DuRapau’s hard work towards keeping the society relevant during the pandemic. “Many advocacy organizations have not survived so (DuRapau’s) work and that of (TASCS’s) board going forward is immensely important,” Moore said. “Now in its 50th year, the ASC sector is once again in an aggressive growth phase with a number of models in play.”
 

The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society has a new board member: Jeff Blankinship!

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