ASC Quality Collaboration Releases Latest Report on ASC Industry Safety and Quality
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Advocacy Committee Commends Industry’s Commitment to Delivering High-Quality Patient Care
Washington, D.C., May 4, 2010 –The Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Advocacy Committee, a group of leading ASC operators, state associations and the ASC Association, applauds the ASC Quality Collaboration for their ongoing efforts to make information on the high-quality, patient-centered care provided in ASCs publicly available. This week, the ASC Quality Collaboration released their fourth quarter 2009 report, which aggregates data to measure quality of care at ASC facilities throughout the country.
The data, amassed from a sample of over 20 percent of ASCs in the U.S. – approximately 1,200 facilities – during the fourth quarter of 2009, affirms that facilities have low rates of medical error and few complications related to common procedures performed at ASCs. The ASC Quality Collaboration measured performance around six quality measures developed by the Collaboration and endorsed by the National Quality Forum, including rates of patient falls, burns, hospital transfer/admissions, wrong site/side/patient/procedure/implant, appropriate antibiotic timing and surgical site hair removal.
“The compelling data in this report shows patients experience superior outcomes when treated at ASCs,” said David Shapiro M.D., Co-Chairman of the ASC Quality Collaboration, Board Member of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association and a Partner at the Ambulatory Surgery Company. “ASCs play an important role in providing safe, effective care, and as an industry, we are committed to sharing this data to help patients make informed decisions about their healthcare.”
In 2006, leaders from the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry joined with accrediting bodies and associations representing physicians and nurses to form the ASC Quality Collaboration.
“As an integral member of the health care system, ASCs are committed to providing the highest quality care in the safest environment possible for our patients,” said Andrew Hayek, Chairman of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Advocacy Committee and President and Chief Executive Officer of Surgical Care Affiliates. “As part of this commitment, ASCs across the country have been working together to develop appropriate quality measures and are voluntarily reporting quarterly outcomes in an effort to promote transparency across the industry.”
ASCs perform more than 22 million surgeries a year including a wide array of therapeutic and diagnostic ambulatory procedures. These services span more than a dozen specialties, including orthopedic, ophthalmology, gynecology, ENT (ear, nose and throat), general surgery, GI (gastroenterology) and pain management. Additionally, more than 40 percent of Medicare colonoscopies are performed in ASCs, providing important preventive measures to those patients.
ASCs offer enormous savings to the entire health care system and are often the most cost effective solution for many medical procedures for both patients and payers. Research shows that Medicare patients save more than 50 percent on out-of-pocket costs, and overall, ASCs save Medicare approximately 40 percent annually. By shifting just half of all eligible outpatient surgeries to the ASC setting, Medicare could save an additional $2.3 billion annually.
The ASC Quality Collaboration will continue to analyze data from ASC facilities quarterly, and the ASC Advocacy Committee is committed to working with the Collaboration to enhance industry transparency and promote quality and safety measures at facilities throughout the country.
About the Ambulatory Surgery Center Advocacy Committee
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Advocacy Committee is working on behalf of the industry to raise awareness of the important role that ASCs play in the health care system and the high-quality, cost-effective care that ASCs provide. For more information about ASCs, visit www.advancingsurgicalcare.com.
About the ASC Quality Collaboration
The ASC Quality Collaboration is dedicated to advancing high quality, physician-led and patient-centered care in ambulatory surgery centers and includes the following organizations: Accreditation Association Ambulatory for Health Care (AAAHC), Ambulatory Surgery Foundation, American College of Surgeons (ACS), American Osteopathic Association, Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (AOA/HFAP), AmSurg, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), HCA: Ambulatory Surgery Division, Surgical Care Affiliates, The Joint Commission, National Surgical Care, Nueterra Healthcare, Symbion Inc, and United Surgical Partners International (USPI). For more information, contact ASC Quality Collaboration Executive Director Donna Slosburg at donnaslosburg@ascquality.org.
