On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, Susan Cheek, CPA, CHCC, CASC, administrator of Dallas Endoscopy Center, represented the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society (TASCS) during the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services hearing at the Capitol in Austin, Texas. 

Cheek had a challenging position, as the only witness against Chair Lois Kolkhorst’s bill, SB 331, which relates to the disclosure of healthcare cost information by certain healthcare facilities.

Cheek testified on the high-quality, low-cost healthcare ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) provide in Texas, as well as the savings for patients and the state. She stated that ASCs do not have large information technology staffs that would be able to comply with the mandate to create machine-readable files. She suggested that the information is already being collected by the All-Payor Claims Database (TX-APCD) and that meaningful, public-facing analysis and reports about healthcare costs could be more easily and accurately published through the TX-APCD.

Despite her testimony being against the bill, the committee received the opposition respectfully, and the Chair asked to work with the committee on the bill to help create transparency for patients shopping for medical procedures. Senator Kelly Hancock raised more questions about looking into the capabilities of the TX-APCD as a source of data and reporting. Vice-Chair Charles Perry gave a personal and warm endorsement of ASCs through an anecdote about his experience and the convenience and value that ASCs provide. 

TASCS appreciates and thanks Cheek for her expertise, dedication, and willingness to represent the ASC industry in Texas, helping to ensure ASCs continue to be the efficient, high-quality, low-cost healthcare alternative for Texans.