Atlas Healthcare Partners’ Post

Empower patients to take charge of their care with Self-Service Rounding. From outpatient settings to ambulatory surgery centers to discharge-readiness rounds, real-time feedback is revolutionizing healthcare experiences. Learn how SSR enables real-time service recovery in our latest blog!   #HealthTech #PatientExperience #SelfServiceRounding

Today, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission released a new issue of the DataPoints series, Trends in Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) in Massachusetts. Findings from an analysis of the ASC landscape in Massachusetts include: ➡️𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.  The Commonwealth has the fourth fewest ASCs per capita nationally, at eight ASCs per million population compared to a national average of 18 per million, likely due to historical regulatory barriers to entry. ➡️𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐒𝐂 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠.  Procedures performed in ASCs are lower-priced compared to the same procedures performed in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs), and these lower prices tended to result in lower patient cost sharing. The average commercially-insured patient cost sharing for a colonoscopy with polyp removal was roughly 12% lower in ASCs. ➡️𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.  For GI procedures, a common ASC service, commercial patients had 27% performed in an ASC (versus a HOPD), while MassHealth patients had 10% performed in an ASC. Explore more about the ASC landscape in Massachusetts on the interactive dashboard: https://lnkd.in/e5CJGB3f #healthpolicy #healthcarecosts 

What role do Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) play in #healthcare? ASCs play a crucial role in modern healthcare by providing efficient, cost-effective surgical care outside of traditional hospital settings. A few reasons why they're so important: 💰Cost-effectiveness - ASCs typically have lower overhead costs compared to hospitals, resulting in lower charges for patients and payers. This helps to reduce overall healthcare expenses. 🕗 Convenience - Patients appreciate the streamlined processes, shorter wait times, and easy access to outpatient surgical procedures closer to home. 💡 Innovation - ASCs are at the forefront of adopting new technologies and techniques, driving innovation. This enables them to offer advanced treatments and procedures to patients. 👩⚕️ Specialized care - Many ASCs focus on specific procedures or specialties, allowing for a high level of expertise and specialized equipment tailored to those services. This specialization leads to better outcomes for patients. Overall, ASCs play a vital role in enhancing access to quality outpatient surgical care while simultaneously reducing healthcare costs, and improving the patient experience. #ASC #healthcare #outpatient

Interesting article (sponsored by Dukal) in Journal for Healthcare Contracting: One highlight: Hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) will continue to experience patient growth (19% and 25% by 2029), with patient volumes projected to increase by 15 million from 2019 to 2029. In addition, the shift in procedures from inpatient to outpatient will help drive down the cost of surgical procedures. Not surprising but continues a trend.

A thoughtful assessment and suggestions on how to address the rapid move of patient procedures to Ambulatory Surgery Centers. Key considerations for MedTech companies as stated: * Pace of procedure move from hospitals to outpatient care facilities (e.g., 29% growth in Medicare Payments to ASCs from 2014 – 2020) (need to be ready and prepared) * ASCs do not operate the same as HOPDs (need to offer unique service and support) * ASCs have specific product and support needs (need for a targeted sales and support strategy). Understanding how to best message and engage with ASCs and understanding their respective affiliations (IDNs, hospitals, physicians) and relationships will become increasingly important for MedTech companies. Great read Kristin Brillant and Carolina Bueno https://lnkd.in/e__5TDQF

The Ambulatory Surgery Centers. Only Profit Driven Facilities, An Overrated Cost Initiative Market or a Healthcare Cost Savings Necessity? 🤔😶🌫️ The argument seems to be that the ASC (Ambulatory Surgery Center) market, while having a rapid rise, sometimes doesn't necessarily prioritize patient needs. Here's a breakdown of the potential criticisms: Overrated Benefits: 📌Cost-effectiveness: ASCs are often touted as cheaper than traditional hospitals. However, critics argue that some procedures might be more expensive at ASCs due to facility fees or lack of bulk purchasing power. 📌Convenience: ASCs offer a more comfortable and quicker experience compared to hospitals. But some surgeries might require more complex post-operative care, which ASCs might not be equipped for. Patient Needs vs. Market Forces: 📌Selection bias: ASCs might prioritize procedures that are profitable and have faster turnaround times, potentially neglecting procedures that are more complex or less profitable. 📌Focus on profit: The growth of ASCs might be driven by profit motives rather than prioritizing what patients truly need in terms of access to necessary procedures or specialists. Here's how the counter-arguments might look:👨🏫👩🏫 * ASCs can provide a valuable alternative for appropriate procedures, reducing wait times and hospital overcrowding. * Advancements in surgical techniques might allow for more complex procedures to be performed safely at ASCs in the future. 🙈🙉🙊 Overall, the debate highlights the need for a balanced approach. ASCs can be a valuable tool, but they shouldn't replace traditional hospitals entirely. The focus should be on ensuring patients have access to the most appropriate setting for their specific needs, regardless of cost or convenience. For a more nuanced understanding, you can search for terms like "pros and cons of ASCs," "ASCs and patient outcomes," or "regulation of ASC market." #asccostsavings #qualitycare

Continuing our bold predictions for 2024, today we talk about the expansion of specialties in Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs). As outpatient surgical procedures performed in ASCs continue to grow, we will see significant economic advantages to patients, physicians, payers, and the overall healthcare industry. #ASCs #FutureOfHealthcare #HealthcareGrowth

In Outpatient Based Labs (OBLs) and Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs), efficiently managing quality improvement (QI) efforts—such as tracking complications and maintaining inventory—is crucial. For over a decade while at Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System, I used a powerful software platform called HI-IQ and saw firsthand how effective it was in tracking data, but I wasn’t sure what I would rely on when transitioning to private practice. So I've been using good ol' excel....until now. Originally designed for large hospitals and academic centers, HI-IQ has now expanded to serve private practitioners in Interventional Radiology (IR), Vascular Surgery (VS), and Interventional Cardiology (IC). It is the only platform developed and endorsed by the Society of Interventional Radiology, incorporating SIR Standards of Practice, terminology, and business rules. From my research, no other system on the market offers such a cost-effective, comprehensive view of clinical, operational, outcomes, and cost data with the level of detail needed to improve procedures across these endovascular specialties. I just recently opened 360 Vascular Institute and am already seeing increasing regulations from insurers and governmental agencies. How are those of you in OBLs and ASCs keeping track of Quality & Patient Safety, Operational Efficiency, and Cost Containment? Do you use a software program like HI-IQ or just a spreadsheet? If it's the later, don't you find that cumbersome as your practice grows? For those of you in a state that requires national accreditation, this is an especially important topic. #HealthcareTechnology #QualityImprovement #OBLs #ASCs #PatientCare #IR #VS #IC #SIR #PennMedicine New Cardiovascular Horizons American College of Cardiology Craig Walker, MD Eric Dippel, MD FACC FSCAI Bob Tahara, MD FACS FSVS DFOEIS RVT RPVI Mark Garcia Mary Costantino, MD

As many organizations continue to face resource constraints coming out of the challenging years of the pandemic, partnership models can offer opportunities to redeploy capital while partnering with best-in-class operators to drive efficiency and growth, particularly in non-acute business units. In a new article, Courtney Midanek, Adnan Qureshi and Matt Santulli describe how increasing competition in the area of ambulatory surgery center management services is providing health systems with an ever-expanding range of potential partners that are offering new and more flexible alignment structures. #ambulatorysurgery #healthcaremanagment #partnershipmodels https://lnkd.in/gFjAWXqg

"Our clients are benefiting greatly from case migration from the HOPD to the ASC setting. Planning and navigating a successful case migration strategy takes experience and the right tools,” says Robert Eisenberg, RN, MBA, CASC, Vice President, Ambulatory Surgery Lead for Sullivan Healthcare Consulting. Read our blog to learn why more Hospital Outpatient Departments (HOPDs) are making the conversion to freestanding ASC, and how this Sullivan team can assist in a smooth transition. https://lnkd.in/gXPggrsE