The Dallas Endoscopy Center (DEC) never slows down!
This summer, they opened their new center.
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.
This National ASC Month, the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) wanted to do something special...
Amidst a workforce shortage and supply chain issues...despite a pandemic...over all the years, with all the changes...there have been dedicated employees who have stuck with it. They were tested, but they never gave up. For more than 50 years, ambulatory surgery centers have been delivering high-quality, cost-effective care, and the professionals listed below have been part of this for decade after decade.
Throughout the year, the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society’s (TASCS) advocacy and regulatory efforts are enhanced, thanks to its lobby team, Congress Avenue Partners (CAP). A large part of the government relations and public affairs firm’s strategies come into play during the Texas legislative session. This year alone, the team tracked approximately 300 bills for TASCS, due in large part because members filed a record number of bills after coming off the pandemic session in 2021. In addition, the budget surplus added to the increase in bill filing, as members saw this session as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make investments in new and existing programs.
Prior to session, TASCS and CAP anticipated the legislature’s intent in addressing big health care issues, and how ambulatory surgery centers could be caught up in blanket legislation, with broad definitions of health care facility or health care provider, and this is exactly what happened. The legislature was laser focused on transparency related to health care facilities, physicians, and providers in a way that we have not seen before. Members filed bills to restrict physician/provider authority, eliminate fees, mandate price controls, and require specific payment methods. While claiming these changes would lower health care costs and provide greater consumer protections, the practical outcome would have distorted the health care marketplace, jeopardized the livelihood of providers, resulted in significant financial losses or increased costs for providers, and/or contributed to the rising prices of health care for the consumer.
This month, the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center (TASCS) traveled back to Spicewood Surgery Center, visiting with Administrator Katie Pierson, DNP, RN, ONC and Collin Bradley, MPH, the Texas Workforce Commission’s (TWC) new Industry & Policy Specialist for Outreach & Employer Initiatives.
TASCS embarked on a remarkable summer road trip to Corpus Christi, Texas, joining fellow members of the South Texas ASC industry for a highly beneficial networking event. TASCS President Dallas Freyer, RN BSN, expressed her genuine delight, stating, "It was truly wonderful to unite with everyone at this long-awaited gathering."
Ambulatory surgery centers from around Corpus Christi gathered for a TASCS networking event, as well, which garnered significant attention and was well-attended. Attendees were warmly welcomed by local ASC celebrity, Freyer, who is widely recognized as an expert and mentor in the local market. Known for her reputation of inclusion and helpfulness, her presence added an extra layer of prestige to the occasion.
The next stop on the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society's road trip was Fannin Surgicare, an ambulatory surgery center located on the campus of The Woman's Hospital of Texas in Houston. Because of its location, women and children make up the bulk of its patients, with services including a large amount of upper/lower endoscopy, ENT, hearing restoration, urology, breast reconstruction, pediatric orthopedics, general surgery, and obstetrics-gynecology.
Each year, the Texas ASC Society heads out across the Lone Star State, stopping by to see ambulatory care leaders and touring their high-quality, cost-effective surgery centers...like the new Kelsey-Seybold Memorial Villages Campus!
Another annual conference has come and gone for the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society. There were SO many of you present as speakers, vendors, sponsors, and guests...businesses and groups from all over, coming together for the ambulatory surgery center industry. We hope you all benefited from the learning, the networking, and the fun (we're looking at you, bingo-playing chickens;).
This week, Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) Board Members Akshay Tavkar of Kelsey-Seybold Clinic and Kayla Schneeweiss-Keene of Mann Cataract Surgery Center, Executive Director Krista DuRapau, and honorary Texan Amanda Penrod of RFX Solutions participated in the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association’s (ASCA) National Advocacy Day.
On Sunday, February 19, Krista DuRapau (the TASCS executive director) and Jenn Schlabach (the society’s membership and meeting coordinator), went to The Little Longhorn Saloon, an Austin honky-tonk dating back to WWII, for a game of chicken bingo. You’re probably wondering if chickens can actually play bingo, and TASCS can attest to the fact that, indeed, they doo-doo.
The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) serves as the public policy advocate for the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry.
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:
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.
National Advocacy Day and its fly-in, Capitol Day, and our 2023 Annual Conference are all just around the corner, and the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association’s (ASCA) David Opong-Wadee shared the importance of and the goals for these events.
Texas Health Care Information Collection (THCIC) representatives Tarik Brown, Andy Alegria, and Dee Roes, explained the data collection process, compliance policies, and distribution at one of the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society’s (TASCS) virtual town hall events last month.
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.
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.
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.
The Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society is proud to have Kayla Schneeweiss-Keene as a new board member.
