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‘Tis The Season…Of Giving

With the holidays approaching, the Dallas Endoscopy Center shows how ASCs can give back and show just how much they care.
 

The Dallas Endoscopy Center (DEC) never slows down! 

This summer, they opened their new center.

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Membership Monday: Chris Kralik

Welcome, Chris Kralik of the Digestive Health Center of Plano and Allen, to the TASCS Board!

The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society is excited to welcome Chris Kralik, BSN, RN, CGRN to our board! You may remember Kralik from last year’s Membership Monday on one of his centers or as a speaker at this year’s Annual Conference. 

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Cybersecurity in the Medical Field

Ambulatory surgery centers need to have solutions in place that help provide security and operational resilience.

 cyber security

As the medical industry continues to evolve, some things are constant, such as the human body’s need for qualified care and the use of technology to help accomplish this. The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society had a thought-provoking and informative town hall with Medigate by Claroty, discussing the integration of the healthcare field and the world of cybersecurity.

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Membership Monday: Kayla Schneeweiss-Keene

Kayla Schneeweiss-Keene of the Mann Eye Institute is now a TASCS board member!

membership monday

The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society is proud to have Kayla Schneeweiss-Keene as a new board member.

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Pharmaceutical Shortages: The Causes, The Effects & How ASCs Can Work Against Them

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?

Pharmaceutical Shortages

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. 


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Why Your Brand Needs To Be On Social Media

Social Medial Likes and Hashtags

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.

Social Media EngagementLinkedIn 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.

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Say Hello To Your 2022 Executive Committee!

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

 

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9 Emerging Leaders in the ASC Industry

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.

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VMG Health Associates Explain Fair Market Value and Referral Risks at Town Hall

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.

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The History & The Future Of Ambulatory Surgery Centers

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. 

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Celebrate National Nurses Week

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.

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This World Health Day, What Are You Doing To Build A Fairer, Healthier World?

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

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POSTPONED- Capitol Day

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

MUST READ information if your center experienced losses in the Winter Storm

If your center sustained damage, follow these guidelines from Texas Health and Human Services Commission:
Submit the temporary closure information on facility letterhead to [email protected]. Please include the facility name, facility ASC license number and the closure details. Once the facility is operational, resubmit the same information.
New Federal Disaster Loan Available For Texas Businesses Via U.S. Small Business Administration: https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/
Office of the Governor Greg Abbott Texas Division of Emergency Management
Launch Call Center To Assist With Texas Individual Assistance Reporting Tool: Link here

Legislative Recap WE 2/12/21

 

 

 

 

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Laredo Digestive Health Center Receives APEX Quality Award

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".

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Welcome Dr. Mehta to PSA ASC

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.

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DEA Compliance Update

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

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

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

American football sports medicine orthopedics Smith+Nephew

[Photo by Dave Adamson on Unsplash]

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

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.

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