Blog
3 Reasons to Update Managed Care Contracts
By Stacy LaLonde
The managed care landscape is constantly changing. Because of that, neglecting to renegotiate contracts can result in missed revenues and lost value long-term for your ASC. Knowing that payers will never approach you to give you higher rates, it’s up to the ASC to re-engage in negotiation to drive additional value to the ASC. This post gives 3 reasons to update your ASC contracts.
If the contract has not been evaluated in more than three years:
ASCs must review payer reimbursement rates frequently, otherwise they risk missing revenue opportunities. One change requiring review is payer guidelines that reduce payments, which may increase the accounts-received (A/R) balances. Working with payers to ensure receipt of the contracted revenue can require ongoing dialogue. Ensure contracts that may have previously ignored cost-of-living (COLA) increases are re-opened to not only improve on old rates, but also amended to add increases so that the contract performance remains current and adequate each year.
5 Considerations for Selecting an IT Provider in a New ASC
Whether you have an ASC partner or you’re trying to do it on your own, getting IT involved early in the development process is essential.
Years ago, ASCs were developed by generalists. Now professionals create formal mock-ups of every wall in every room in every facility. There are experts in floorplan to maximize clinical flow; in engineering to meet airflow and pressure needs; in equipment for purchasing according to a specific project’s needs; and in IT to ensure the ASC is efficient and secure.
A huge consideration for new ASCs is the breadth of experience and scope of work of an IT provider. An experienced ASC IT provider will understand both general and specific needs for ASCs and will have the ability to execute on those needs. A partner in IT can help you with
The High-Performance Orthopedic ASC Starts with an Optimized Development Plan
by Beth Derby
My very first surgery center was 1978, when nobody knew what an ambulatory surgery center was, including me. I was brought in long after the design had been completed. The construction had already begun, and I was asked to outfit the place, to go buy things. I suppose if that facility had failed, I would have gone back to running the Yale Recovery Room and would’ve never had a career in ASCs.
It was Temple Surgical Center in New Haven, CT. We started with 4 ORs and eventually grew to 6. The flow was awkward and the rooms were small, but even then, space was used to maximize patient flow. People walked into the OR. Actually walked in!
What we didn’t know in 1978 could’ve filled 500 books. We learned with each project and then applied the experience to each of our future centers. That original company in Connecticut went on to build 6 more centers in every major city in Connecticut. The model for the facility grew over time. And since then, the model has become even more sophisticated.
