Becky Ziegler-Otis – ASCA 2023 Recap: Topics, Trends, and News | This Week in Surgery Centers
Here’s what to expect on this week’s episode. 🎙️
The Annual Ambulatory Surgery Center Association Conference took place a few weeks ago, bringing together 1,200+ ASC experts, professionals, and vendors from around the country.
This week’s episode is dedicated to recapping the biggest takeaways from #ASCA2023, including a conversation with Becky ZIEGLER-OTIS, industry veteran and one of ASCA’s Board of Directors.
Hot Topic 1️⃣: Anesthesia – As more cases migrate to an outpatient setting, the topic and debate around anesthesia have naturally followed suit.
· Finding the right partner is key.
· Have an honest discussion about regional anesthesia.
· Make sure you understand the Patient ASA Classification rankings.
Hot Topic 2️⃣: Technology – Innovative tech will continue to play a pivotal role in transforming every aspect of the surgery center experience.
· Lean in to help maximize the patient experience.
· Centers that are embracing technology are winning and happy with their decision.
· We are seeing the same trends as the Fintech industry: AI, cloud, big data, and more.
Hot Topic 3️⃣: Culture & Inclusivity – The ASC ecosystem encompasses a wide range of stakeholders, so fostering a culture of belonging and embracing diversity is a must.
· Create a culture of belonging through listening, surveys, and onboarding tactics.
· Understand the role we all play in reducing the disparity of care.
· Foster a larger, more inclusive community.
Exciting News 💥 National Medical Billing Services rebranded to nimble solutions! Lisa Rock shared that the change emphasizes their dedication, passion, and commitment to clients, aiming to transform the healthcare industry through innovation and exceeding expectations.
And finally 💥 Kathy Bryant, former CEO of ASCA, was honored with the Nap Gary Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement in the ASC community. Presented by Dr. David Shapiro, the award recognizes Bryant’s exceptional leadership during her tenure from 1998 to 2010. The award commemorates Bryant’s significant contributions to the ASC community, following in the footsteps of ASC leader Nap Gary.
Find the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube to hear all the details.
Episode Transcript
0:00
welcome to this week in surgery centers
0:03
if you’re in the ASC industry then
0:06
you’re in the right place every week
0:08
we’ll start the episode off by sharing
0:10
an interesting conversation we had with
0:11
our featured guests and then we’ll close
0:13
the episode by recapping the latest news
0:15
impacting surgery centers we’re excited
0:18
to share with you what we have so let’s
0:20
get started and see what the industry’s
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been up to
0:23
[Music]
0:27
hi everyone here’s what you can expect
0:30
on today’s episode this episode is going
0:33
to be all about the annual ask a
0:35
conference that took place in Louisville
0:37
a few weeks back from May 17th to the
0:40
20th as most of you likely know this
0:43
conference brings together experts
0:45
professionals and vendors from the
0:46
industry to explore latest advancements
0:48
and Trends and this year as always
0:51
featured an impressive lineup of
0:53
speakers and sessions and provided the
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perfect platform for networking and
0:57
catching up
0:58
so what we’ll do first is have a
1:00
conversation with Becky Ziegler Otis
1:02
about the conference Becky is on aska’s
1:06
board of directors she’s the assistant
1:07
executive director of the ASC quality
1:10
collaboration and is also a consultant
1:12
for ASCS so seeing the conference from
1:15
her perspective was really insightful
1:17
we’ll then end the episode with the
1:20
biggest takeaways from the show emerging
1:22
Trends and some exciting news that came
1:24
out from the conference as well
1:26
hope everyone enjoys the episode and
1:29
here’s what’s going on this week in
1:31
surgery centers
1:33
[Music]
1:36
hi Becky welcome to the podcast hi Erica
1:40
thanks for inviting me to be a part of
1:42
the podcast today I appreciate it yeah
1:44
I’m excited to do the ask a recap with
1:46
you but before we jump in can you tell
1:49
our listeners a little bit about
1:50
yourself oh sure so my name is Becky
1:53
Ziggler Otis and I’ve been involved in
1:55
the ASC industry for about 15 years I
1:58
worked as an ASD administrator for about
2:00
13 of them and then just most recently
2:03
have decided to try some other things in
2:05
the ASC industry and so I currently work
2:07
as the executive assistant director with
2:09
the ASC quality collaboration I do a
2:12
little bit of Consulting and I work with
2:13
the surgery center in Wausau Wisconsin
2:15
as well
2:17
awesome that’s great so obviously the
2:21
show was a couple weeks ago I know how
2:24
much time and effort goes into planning
2:26
a show of that size and I can’t even
2:29
imagine from the vendor perspective we
2:31
put so much into it so I can only
2:33
imagine from your end task and ask on
2:35
the board everything that goes into it
2:37
what did you think of the conference as
2:40
a whole this year
2:42
I thought the conference was great and I
2:45
think it was great in my mind from
2:47
really three different perspectives one
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I would say from the sessions I mean
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what do I mean by that I think the
2:52
sessions were spot on this year they
2:55
covered what is so important in the ASC
2:58
industry right now covering things like
3:00
um Staffing and not just from the area
3:02
of Staffing per se but inclusion and
3:05
diversity and tricks and tips in staff
3:08
engagement just a lot of
3:10
thought-provoking things the exhibitors
3:13
this year I thought there was a plethora
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of exhibitors and they were so well
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balanced we had exhibitors from
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accreditation organizations supply
3:22
companies Capital Equipment lending
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benchmarking and so I thought that was
3:27
fabulous as well and then also I thought
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the exhibit hall was so well laid out it
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was really a nice venue at that
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Louisville Convention Center it provided
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ample room for individuals to go from
3:40
the different exhibitors and to put the
3:42
different social events in there it was
3:44
well laid out it was a great conference
3:45
great conference yeah I agree and you
3:48
touched upon this a little bit with
3:50
Staffing and some of the other topics
3:52
that were covered in the sessions but
3:54
between the things that the exhibit hall
3:57
things going on in the exhibit hall and
3:59
things with the sessions and just what
4:01
kind of the buzz around the conference
4:03
were there any common themes and topics
4:06
this year that you noticed
4:10
so when I thought back about that I
4:12
really think the theme of the pressing
4:15
issues in the ASC industry and what are
4:18
those pressing issues anesthesia there
4:20
were sessions on anesthesia which I
4:22
thought were fabulous when I talk about
4:24
Staffing that is definitely a critical
4:27
piece in the ASE industry right now so
4:29
with all of the different things even
4:31
talking about the multi-general
4:32
generational Workforce and things of
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that and then I also thought what was
4:36
Grace is it covered the basic theme of
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what’s important for a every ASC
4:42
administrator we wear so many hats that
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there are things that you have to stay
4:47
on top of all the time and so it covered
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some of the basics that you can never
4:51
hear too much about such as Managed Care
4:54
Contracting Finance patient satisfaction
4:57
infection prevention quality improvement
5:00
credentialing so in in my mind all of
5:03
the things that are so relevant to
5:04
what’s occurring in ases
5:08
yeah I agree and yeah the Managed Care
5:11
contracts for sure anesthesia we were
5:14
going back and looking at some of our
5:16
notes as well collectively obviously
5:18
Staffing technology so a lot of the
5:21
usual stuff but I feel like everything
5:22
just had a kind of different spin on it
5:24
this year
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yeah and I agree with that Erica and
5:28
also when I think about the sessions on
5:30
joint Replacements and some of the
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Specialties that are really taking their
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presence in the ASC industry and there
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was a session on cardiovascular Services
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I thought that was fabulous as well for
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those of us that are looking to maybe
5:42
grow different Specialties or open
5:44
different types of centers yeah and I
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actually to your point as well saw all
5:49
the conversations around the culture
5:51
that you build at your surgery center
5:52
and diversity and inclusivity I feel
5:56
like in past years there might have been
5:58
maybe one session or something that had
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covered that lightly but especially with
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the General Session and some of the
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other dedicated sessions it seems like
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that was obviously a growing topic as
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well this year that was really well
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received as well
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yeah so obviously I think
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it could be something that we continue
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to provide through the ASCA education
6:22
programs yeah beautiful I agree what
6:25
were some of the most meaningful
6:27
sessions or maybe conversations that you
6:30
had this year
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yeah when I think back on it it’s really
6:35
hard to pick out what was the most
6:37
meaningful but one thing that’s always
6:39
very meaningful to me is listening to
6:42
the regulatory sessions because things
6:44
are always changing and it’s hard to
6:46
stay up to date with the regulations so
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just hearing the CMS quality and
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Reporting session and learning what we
6:54
have to do this year what we have to do
6:55
next year what’s coming down I think
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that’s all very helpful information so
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many times we just get carried away and
7:02
are running our ASCS that you forget
7:04
about some of those things so I thought
7:06
that was very meaningful I also enjoyed
7:09
listening to the keynote speaker I
7:12
thought that was great listening to that
7:14
Pat Day the jockey I thought that was a
7:17
great way to start the conference out
7:19
very positive so I thought that was
7:21
really meaningful and then the ask a
7:24
celebration lunch when Kathy Bryan came
7:27
on stage and I thought that was I
7:29
thought that was really inspirational as
7:31
someone who really started started ask
7:33
it kind of from the beginning and pull
7:35
things together hearing about it from
7:36
the background that she had I thought
7:38
that was great yeah and she was the nap
7:41
Gary award recipient this year as well
7:44
that is that’s how correct she was yeah
7:47
and during that they also I thought was
7:49
interesting is listening to and having
7:52
people stand up who are involved in the
7:54
ASC administrator program that’s a brand
7:57
new program that aspa is offering for
7:59
new administrators and I was I’m
8:02
astounded by the number of individuals
8:04
that are taking part in that wonderful
8:06
opportunity so I thought that was great
8:08
as well yeah that’s such a great program
8:10
I was talking to somebody recently and
8:12
they were telling me that because of
8:14
some of the staffing issues that are
8:16
that are going on there are
8:18
administrators who have been promoted to
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this role that have not had necessarily
8:23
the same experience that their previous
8:25
administrators have had or haven’t
8:27
really had the chance to climb the
8:29
ladder in a traditional sense and learn
8:31
a lot of these things things on the way
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and then they’re just getting thrown
8:34
into this administrator role and to your
8:37
point about all the regulatory stuff
8:38
like there’s so many aspects to it that
8:42
I think having a program like that
8:43
they’re probably just so grateful to
8:46
have the resources that they can turn to
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yeah and if I had the fortunate
8:52
opportunity I’m on the ask a board and I
8:54
also actually have served as a mentor
8:56
for that program and so I had a
8:59
wonderful opportunity to work with my
9:01
mentee that was in that administrator
9:03
program and it was interesting to learn
9:05
from the perspective of how what that
9:07
individual was taught as they started in
9:09
their role and getting them up to speed
9:11
because there are so many aspects to
9:13
running an ASC and I just think the
9:16
program provides Great Value in that
9:17
regard yeah nice that’s awesome so
9:21
looking back at the show were there
9:23
anything that came up that kind of
9:25
surprised you or maybe something that
9:26
was unexpected that you saw at the
9:29
conference this year
9:32
so I think for me probably one of the
9:35
most for me it was one of the most
9:36
inspirational sessions is when Mora cash
9:39
was talking about social determinants of
9:42
care it blew me away because when I
9:44
thought about the title of the session I
9:46
had in my mind what I was going to hear
9:48
and what I heard was something that was
9:52
above and beyond what my expectations
9:54
were it was so inspirational it was so
9:56
thought provoking and she did a great
9:59
job and that pretty much started me off
10:02
on that conference just on such a
10:03
positive note that continued so I would
10:07
say that was one of my Wows in addition
10:10
the networking was fabulous I was able
10:12
to meet so many individuals Link in with
10:15
others that I hadn’t seen in so long
10:16
meet new people that are new in the
10:19
industry gather some insights from so
10:21
many of the exhibitor booths that I went
10:23
to that was a wow it was definitely a
10:25
wow yeah that’s awesome yeah I was in
10:29
Maura’s session as well and I don’t have
10:32
a clinical background but I feel
10:34
obviously she does but she was able to
10:36
remind everybody as to why
10:39
the people who work in surgery centers
10:41
and have nursing backgrounds and provide
10:43
this level of care why you do it and why
10:45
it matters and how taking that extra
10:47
step can truly change somebody’s life in
10:50
a very meaningful way yeah that was a
10:53
wonderful session and obviously
10:54
networking is always
10:56
fun and productive
11:00
okay last question for you were there
11:03
any specific takeaways or action items
11:06
that you plan to implement as a result
11:08
of attending the conference this year
11:11
for me the networking was fabulous and
11:14
so I have individuals that I want to
11:16
reach out to tap into that that is a
11:19
take home for me there were so many
11:21
speakers that I thought were just
11:23
fabulous honestly I think their speaker
11:25
lineup was great who they have who asked
11:28
identifies to speak at these different
11:30
sessions they did a fabulous job and so
11:32
even reaching out to those with
11:34
questions based upon their subject
11:36
matter expertise that’s actually what I
11:39
plan to do with the information that
11:41
I’ve learned from ASCA this year great
11:43
perfect I really appreciate you coming
11:46
on and helping us recap the show it’s
11:49
such an important part of the industry
11:51
that once it’s over it always feels good
11:53
to go back and reflect and get excited
11:56
for next year and I believe it’s in
11:58
Orlando next year it’s in Orlando next
12:02
year and I know the education committee
12:04
is already working on the lineup of
12:05
sessions so I throw this plug out there
12:08
anybody who’s listening has an idea of
12:11
what you would like to have covered in
12:12
there please make sure that you reach
12:14
out to Gina and give her your suggestion
12:16
um and if you’re a subject matter expert
12:18
in something and you have a passion for
12:20
it reach out to her as well because that
12:22
only makes aska more appropriate and
12:25
better for all of us so I’m looking
12:27
forward to Orlando I think it’s going to
12:28
be great good that’s a great call out
12:30
we’ll make sure to put a link to that
12:32
application process in the episode notes
12:34
as well so if anybody is listening and
12:36
wants to suggest a topic or be a speaker
12:39
we’ll include that link for them
12:42
all right Becky I really appreciate your
12:44
time great chatting and we’ll talk soon
12:48
well thank you Eric I appreciate the
12:50
time thank you so much bye now bye
12:56
hope you all enjoyed hearing Becky’s
12:59
perspective on the 2023 ask a conference
13:02
for me it was really interesting to hear
13:05
from her because I wrote my own recap of
13:07
the show and after speaking with her I
13:09
realized that we had a lot of
13:11
overlapping takeaways which is always
13:13
reassuring and of course always helpful
13:15
to hear others opinions especially from
13:18
those who are so close to the industry
13:19
so we are just going to expand on the
13:22
conversation we just had by diving in a
13:24
little further first I’ll cover the
13:27
three hottest topics
13:28
and then two pieces of news that emerged
13:31
from the show so let’s do it the first
13:33
Hot Topic had to be anesthesia so as
13:37
more cases continue to migrate to an
13:39
outpatient setting the topic and debate
13:42
around anesthesia have naturally
13:44
followed soup several sessions this year
13:46
were dedicated to improving scheduling
13:49
workflows strengthening relationships
13:51
with your anesthesia providers and
13:53
expanding anesthesia types
13:55
three takeaways finding the right
13:57
partner is key you need a partner that
14:00
can scale with you provide a reliable
14:02
and skilled Workforce improve or
14:04
efficiencies and maintain patient safety
14:06
of course
14:07
the second takeaway related to
14:09
Anesthesia would be that it’s time to
14:11
have an honest discussion if you have
14:13
not already around Regional anesthesia
14:16
while some doctors are quick to say no
14:19
ases have recently been able to increase
14:21
the number of cases performed to add new
14:23
Specialties short and post anesthesia
14:26
care time and reduce post-operative pain
14:28
for patients just by adopting Regional
14:31
anesthesia
14:32
and the third is just to make sure you
14:34
understand the patient ASA
14:36
classification rankings as ASCS continue
14:39
to see sicker patients you need to be
14:42
well versed in the rankings for patient
14:44
safety and insurance purposes as well
14:46
and reimbursement
14:48
the second Hot Topic that seemed to be
14:51
everywhere was technology technology
14:54
plays and will continue to play a
14:56
pivotal role in transforming every
14:58
aspect of the surgery center experience
15:01
the sessions vendors all the candid
15:04
discussions at aska proved this yet
15:06
again to be true you walk around the
15:08
exhibit hall and almost every vendor
15:11
there is offering some form of
15:13
Technology whether directly indirectly
15:15
you can’t escape it so three highlights
15:18
related to tech technology will help you
15:21
maximize the patient experience of
15:22
course this will lead to improved
15:24
patient intake real-time procedural
15:27
communication early recovery after
15:29
surgery and then better management
15:31
recovery of poor patient experiences as
15:34
well
15:36
second takeaway centers that are
15:38
embracing technology are winning and
15:40
happy with their decision Tracy
15:42
opichowski is the director of quality
15:45
management and Regulatory Compliance at
15:48
Allied physician Surgery Center and her
15:50
Center has done an excellent job of
15:52
adopting technology into its day-to-day
15:54
workflow and when asked during a panel
15:56
what is one piece of advice you would
15:59
give your peers who are considering
16:01
implementing any technology she replied
16:04
just do it
16:06
the third takeaway the ASC industry is
16:09
seeing the same Trends as the fintech
16:11
industry if you’re not familiar it’s
16:13
definitely worth going down a small
16:15
YouTube rabbit hole to see the evolution
16:17
of the fintech industry but Innovations
16:20
in finance and Technology have led to
16:22
the emergence of what I’m calling the
16:24
fintech industry and it’s believed that
16:26
Healthcare is following the same path
16:29
and we’ll see a continued focus on AI
16:31
Cloud big data and more
16:35
and last but certainly not least the
16:38
third Hot Topic has to be culture and
16:40
inclusivity the ASC ecosystem
16:43
encompasses a wide range of stakeholders
16:46
Physicians patients families staff board
16:50
members owners payers but of course your
16:52
local community and so on so because of
16:55
that fostering a culture of belonging
16:58
and inclusivity and respect is super
17:00
important for ensuring long-term
17:03
sustainability and success embracing
17:05
diversity and understanding the
17:07
importance of diversity among all of
17:09
your stakeholders will only enhance the
17:12
overall experience for everyone involved
17:13
and ultimately Drive positive outcomes
17:16
began to sum this up with three
17:19
takeaways create a culture of belonging
17:22
so a sense of belonging can foster a
17:25
greater sense of purpose for every
17:26
employee within their work environment
17:28
and you can foster inclusion through
17:31
listening sessions engagement surveys
17:33
Career Development onboarding tactics
17:35
and other tactics as well
17:38
the second is understanding the role we
17:40
all play in reducing the disparity of
17:43
care Mora cash is the vice president of
17:45
clinical strategies at HST Pathways and
17:48
she shared that while the world wants us
17:51
to speed up in order to properly address
17:53
social determinants of Health sometimes
17:56
we must slow down
17:58
and lastly Foster a larger more
18:01
inclusive community and create your
18:03
organization’s beliefs and values
18:05
participate in local events to educate
18:07
your community and be more vocal about
18:09
the value you bring
18:12
so those were the three most talked
18:13
about topics that I saw anesthesia
18:15
technology and inclusivity
18:19
and just Switching gears to two other
18:21
pieces of news if you have not heard
18:23
already the first is that National
18:25
medical billing services has rebranded
18:27
to Nimble solutions to reflect its
18:30
values of agility Innovation and client
18:33
centricity the name change signifies the
18:36
company’s commitment to problem solving
18:38
Innovation and meeting client needs the
18:41
company’s president and founder Lisa
18:43
Rock emphasize their dedication passion
18:46
and commitment to clients aiming to
18:48
transform the healthcare industry
18:50
through Innovation and exceeding
18:51
expectations so very cool I love the way
18:55
the new brand looks and excited to see
18:57
what they do with it
18:59
and lastly Kathy Bryant former CEO of
19:03
ASCA was honored with the nap Gary
19:05
Legacy award for lifetime achievement in
19:08
the ASC Community presented by Dr David
19:11
Shapiro the award recognizes Brian’s
19:13
exceptional leadership during her tenor
19:16
from 1998 to 2010 and under her guidance
19:20
ASCA transformed into a prominent
19:22
Advocate and influential voice for
19:24
surgery centers Nationwide the award
19:27
commemorates Brian’s significant
19:29
contributions to the community following
19:31
in the footsteps of ASE leader nap Gary
19:35
and that officially wraps up our ask a
19:38
recap episode if you think we missed
19:40
anything please head over to hst’s
19:42
LinkedIn page and let us know leave us a
19:44
comment and thank you as always for
19:47
spending a few minutes of your week with
19:48
us make sure to subscribe or leave a
19:51
review on whichever platform you’re
19:52
listening from I hope you have a great
19:54
day and we will see you again next week
20:02
why are you keeping me
welcome to this week in surgery centers
0:03
if you’re in the ASC industry then
0:06
you’re in the right place every week
0:08
we’ll start the episode off by sharing
0:10
an interesting conversation we had with
0:11
our featured guests and then we’ll close
0:13
the episode by recapping the latest news
0:15
impacting surgery centers we’re excited
0:18
to share with you what we have so let’s
0:20
get started and see what the industry’s
0:22
been up to
0:23
[Music]
0:27
hi everyone here’s what you can expect
0:30
on today’s episode this episode is going
0:33
to be all about the annual ask a
0:35
conference that took place in Louisville
0:37
a few weeks back from May 17th to the
0:40
20th as most of you likely know this
0:43
conference brings together experts
0:45
professionals and vendors from the
0:46
industry to explore latest advancements
0:48
and Trends and this year as always
0:51
featured an impressive lineup of
0:53
speakers and sessions and provided the
0:55
perfect platform for networking and
0:57
catching up
0:58
so what we’ll do first is have a
1:00
conversation with Becky Ziegler Otis
1:02
about the conference Becky is on aska’s
1:06
board of directors she’s the assistant
1:07
executive director of the ASC quality
1:10
collaboration and is also a consultant
1:12
for ASCS so seeing the conference from
1:15
her perspective was really insightful
1:17
we’ll then end the episode with the
1:20
biggest takeaways from the show emerging
1:22
Trends and some exciting news that came
1:24
out from the conference as well
1:26
hope everyone enjoys the episode and
1:29
here’s what’s going on this week in
1:31
surgery centers
1:33
[Music]
1:36
hi Becky welcome to the podcast hi Erica
1:40
thanks for inviting me to be a part of
1:42
the podcast today I appreciate it yeah
1:44
I’m excited to do the ask a recap with
1:46
you but before we jump in can you tell
1:49
our listeners a little bit about
1:50
yourself oh sure so my name is Becky
1:53
Ziggler Otis and I’ve been involved in
1:55
the ASC industry for about 15 years I
1:58
worked as an ASD administrator for about
2:00
13 of them and then just most recently
2:03
have decided to try some other things in
2:05
the ASC industry and so I currently work
2:07
as the executive assistant director with
2:09
the ASC quality collaboration I do a
2:12
little bit of Consulting and I work with
2:13
the surgery center in Wausau Wisconsin
2:15
as well
2:17
awesome that’s great so obviously the
2:21
show was a couple weeks ago I know how
2:24
much time and effort goes into planning
2:26
a show of that size and I can’t even
2:29
imagine from the vendor perspective we
2:31
put so much into it so I can only
2:33
imagine from your end task and ask on
2:35
the board everything that goes into it
2:37
what did you think of the conference as
2:40
a whole this year
2:42
I thought the conference was great and I
2:45
think it was great in my mind from
2:47
really three different perspectives one
2:49
I would say from the sessions I mean
2:51
what do I mean by that I think the
2:52
sessions were spot on this year they
2:55
covered what is so important in the ASC
2:58
industry right now covering things like
3:00
um Staffing and not just from the area
3:02
of Staffing per se but inclusion and
3:05
diversity and tricks and tips in staff
3:08
engagement just a lot of
3:10
thought-provoking things the exhibitors
3:13
this year I thought there was a plethora
3:15
of exhibitors and they were so well
3:17
balanced we had exhibitors from
3:20
accreditation organizations supply
3:22
companies Capital Equipment lending
3:25
benchmarking and so I thought that was
3:27
fabulous as well and then also I thought
3:30
the exhibit hall was so well laid out it
3:33
was really a nice venue at that
3:35
Louisville Convention Center it provided
3:38
ample room for individuals to go from
3:40
the different exhibitors and to put the
3:42
different social events in there it was
3:44
well laid out it was a great conference
3:45
great conference yeah I agree and you
3:48
touched upon this a little bit with
3:50
Staffing and some of the other topics
3:52
that were covered in the sessions but
3:54
between the things that the exhibit hall
3:57
things going on in the exhibit hall and
3:59
things with the sessions and just what
4:01
kind of the buzz around the conference
4:03
were there any common themes and topics
4:06
this year that you noticed
4:10
so when I thought back about that I
4:12
really think the theme of the pressing
4:15
issues in the ASC industry and what are
4:18
those pressing issues anesthesia there
4:20
were sessions on anesthesia which I
4:22
thought were fabulous when I talk about
4:24
Staffing that is definitely a critical
4:27
piece in the ASE industry right now so
4:29
with all of the different things even
4:31
talking about the multi-general
4:32
generational Workforce and things of
4:34
that and then I also thought what was
4:36
Grace is it covered the basic theme of
4:40
what’s important for a every ASC
4:42
administrator we wear so many hats that
4:45
there are things that you have to stay
4:47
on top of all the time and so it covered
4:49
some of the basics that you can never
4:51
hear too much about such as Managed Care
4:54
Contracting Finance patient satisfaction
4:57
infection prevention quality improvement
5:00
credentialing so in in my mind all of
5:03
the things that are so relevant to
5:04
what’s occurring in ases
5:08
yeah I agree and yeah the Managed Care
5:11
contracts for sure anesthesia we were
5:14
going back and looking at some of our
5:16
notes as well collectively obviously
5:18
Staffing technology so a lot of the
5:21
usual stuff but I feel like everything
5:22
just had a kind of different spin on it
5:24
this year
5:26
yeah and I agree with that Erica and
5:28
also when I think about the sessions on
5:30
joint Replacements and some of the
5:31
Specialties that are really taking their
5:34
presence in the ASC industry and there
5:36
was a session on cardiovascular Services
5:38
I thought that was fabulous as well for
5:40
those of us that are looking to maybe
5:42
grow different Specialties or open
5:44
different types of centers yeah and I
5:46
actually to your point as well saw all
5:49
the conversations around the culture
5:51
that you build at your surgery center
5:52
and diversity and inclusivity I feel
5:56
like in past years there might have been
5:58
maybe one session or something that had
6:00
covered that lightly but especially with
6:02
the General Session and some of the
6:04
other dedicated sessions it seems like
6:06
that was obviously a growing topic as
6:08
well this year that was really well
6:10
received as well
6:13
yeah so obviously I think
6:18
it could be something that we continue
6:20
to provide through the ASCA education
6:22
programs yeah beautiful I agree what
6:25
were some of the most meaningful
6:27
sessions or maybe conversations that you
6:30
had this year
6:32
yeah when I think back on it it’s really
6:35
hard to pick out what was the most
6:37
meaningful but one thing that’s always
6:39
very meaningful to me is listening to
6:42
the regulatory sessions because things
6:44
are always changing and it’s hard to
6:46
stay up to date with the regulations so
6:48
just hearing the CMS quality and
6:51
Reporting session and learning what we
6:54
have to do this year what we have to do
6:55
next year what’s coming down I think
6:58
that’s all very helpful information so
7:01
many times we just get carried away and
7:02
are running our ASCS that you forget
7:04
about some of those things so I thought
7:06
that was very meaningful I also enjoyed
7:09
listening to the keynote speaker I
7:12
thought that was great listening to that
7:14
Pat Day the jockey I thought that was a
7:17
great way to start the conference out
7:19
very positive so I thought that was
7:21
really meaningful and then the ask a
7:24
celebration lunch when Kathy Bryan came
7:27
on stage and I thought that was I
7:29
thought that was really inspirational as
7:31
someone who really started started ask
7:33
it kind of from the beginning and pull
7:35
things together hearing about it from
7:36
the background that she had I thought
7:38
that was great yeah and she was the nap
7:41
Gary award recipient this year as well
7:44
that is that’s how correct she was yeah
7:47
and during that they also I thought was
7:49
interesting is listening to and having
7:52
people stand up who are involved in the
7:54
ASC administrator program that’s a brand
7:57
new program that aspa is offering for
7:59
new administrators and I was I’m
8:02
astounded by the number of individuals
8:04
that are taking part in that wonderful
8:06
opportunity so I thought that was great
8:08
as well yeah that’s such a great program
8:10
I was talking to somebody recently and
8:12
they were telling me that because of
8:14
some of the staffing issues that are
8:16
that are going on there are
8:18
administrators who have been promoted to
8:21
this role that have not had necessarily
8:23
the same experience that their previous
8:25
administrators have had or haven’t
8:27
really had the chance to climb the
8:29
ladder in a traditional sense and learn
8:31
a lot of these things things on the way
8:33
and then they’re just getting thrown
8:34
into this administrator role and to your
8:37
point about all the regulatory stuff
8:38
like there’s so many aspects to it that
8:42
I think having a program like that
8:43
they’re probably just so grateful to
8:46
have the resources that they can turn to
8:49
yeah and if I had the fortunate
8:52
opportunity I’m on the ask a board and I
8:54
also actually have served as a mentor
8:56
for that program and so I had a
8:59
wonderful opportunity to work with my
9:01
mentee that was in that administrator
9:03
program and it was interesting to learn
9:05
from the perspective of how what that
9:07
individual was taught as they started in
9:09
their role and getting them up to speed
9:11
because there are so many aspects to
9:13
running an ASC and I just think the
9:16
program provides Great Value in that
9:17
regard yeah nice that’s awesome so
9:21
looking back at the show were there
9:23
anything that came up that kind of
9:25
surprised you or maybe something that
9:26
was unexpected that you saw at the
9:29
conference this year
9:32
so I think for me probably one of the
9:35
most for me it was one of the most
9:36
inspirational sessions is when Mora cash
9:39
was talking about social determinants of
9:42
care it blew me away because when I
9:44
thought about the title of the session I
9:46
had in my mind what I was going to hear
9:48
and what I heard was something that was
9:52
above and beyond what my expectations
9:54
were it was so inspirational it was so
9:56
thought provoking and she did a great
9:59
job and that pretty much started me off
10:02
on that conference just on such a
10:03
positive note that continued so I would
10:07
say that was one of my Wows in addition
10:10
the networking was fabulous I was able
10:12
to meet so many individuals Link in with
10:15
others that I hadn’t seen in so long
10:16
meet new people that are new in the
10:19
industry gather some insights from so
10:21
many of the exhibitor booths that I went
10:23
to that was a wow it was definitely a
10:25
wow yeah that’s awesome yeah I was in
10:29
Maura’s session as well and I don’t have
10:32
a clinical background but I feel
10:34
obviously she does but she was able to
10:36
remind everybody as to why
10:39
the people who work in surgery centers
10:41
and have nursing backgrounds and provide
10:43
this level of care why you do it and why
10:45
it matters and how taking that extra
10:47
step can truly change somebody’s life in
10:50
a very meaningful way yeah that was a
10:53
wonderful session and obviously
10:54
networking is always
10:56
fun and productive
11:00
okay last question for you were there
11:03
any specific takeaways or action items
11:06
that you plan to implement as a result
11:08
of attending the conference this year
11:11
for me the networking was fabulous and
11:14
so I have individuals that I want to
11:16
reach out to tap into that that is a
11:19
take home for me there were so many
11:21
speakers that I thought were just
11:23
fabulous honestly I think their speaker
11:25
lineup was great who they have who asked
11:28
identifies to speak at these different
11:30
sessions they did a fabulous job and so
11:32
even reaching out to those with
11:34
questions based upon their subject
11:36
matter expertise that’s actually what I
11:39
plan to do with the information that
11:41
I’ve learned from ASCA this year great
11:43
perfect I really appreciate you coming
11:46
on and helping us recap the show it’s
11:49
such an important part of the industry
11:51
that once it’s over it always feels good
11:53
to go back and reflect and get excited
11:56
for next year and I believe it’s in
11:58
Orlando next year it’s in Orlando next
12:02
year and I know the education committee
12:04
is already working on the lineup of
12:05
sessions so I throw this plug out there
12:08
anybody who’s listening has an idea of
12:11
what you would like to have covered in
12:12
there please make sure that you reach
12:14
out to Gina and give her your suggestion
12:16
um and if you’re a subject matter expert
12:18
in something and you have a passion for
12:20
it reach out to her as well because that
12:22
only makes aska more appropriate and
12:25
better for all of us so I’m looking
12:27
forward to Orlando I think it’s going to
12:28
be great good that’s a great call out
12:30
we’ll make sure to put a link to that
12:32
application process in the episode notes
12:34
as well so if anybody is listening and
12:36
wants to suggest a topic or be a speaker
12:39
we’ll include that link for them
12:42
all right Becky I really appreciate your
12:44
time great chatting and we’ll talk soon
12:48
well thank you Eric I appreciate the
12:50
time thank you so much bye now bye
12:56
hope you all enjoyed hearing Becky’s
12:59
perspective on the 2023 ask a conference
13:02
for me it was really interesting to hear
13:05
from her because I wrote my own recap of
13:07
the show and after speaking with her I
13:09
realized that we had a lot of
13:11
overlapping takeaways which is always
13:13
reassuring and of course always helpful
13:15
to hear others opinions especially from
13:18
those who are so close to the industry
13:19
so we are just going to expand on the
13:22
conversation we just had by diving in a
13:24
little further first I’ll cover the
13:27
three hottest topics
13:28
and then two pieces of news that emerged
13:31
from the show so let’s do it the first
13:33
Hot Topic had to be anesthesia so as
13:37
more cases continue to migrate to an
13:39
outpatient setting the topic and debate
13:42
around anesthesia have naturally
13:44
followed soup several sessions this year
13:46
were dedicated to improving scheduling
13:49
workflows strengthening relationships
13:51
with your anesthesia providers and
13:53
expanding anesthesia types
13:55
three takeaways finding the right
13:57
partner is key you need a partner that
14:00
can scale with you provide a reliable
14:02
and skilled Workforce improve or
14:04
efficiencies and maintain patient safety
14:06
of course
14:07
the second takeaway related to
14:09
Anesthesia would be that it’s time to
14:11
have an honest discussion if you have
14:13
not already around Regional anesthesia
14:16
while some doctors are quick to say no
14:19
ases have recently been able to increase
14:21
the number of cases performed to add new
14:23
Specialties short and post anesthesia
14:26
care time and reduce post-operative pain
14:28
for patients just by adopting Regional
14:31
anesthesia
14:32
and the third is just to make sure you
14:34
understand the patient ASA
14:36
classification rankings as ASCS continue
14:39
to see sicker patients you need to be
14:42
well versed in the rankings for patient
14:44
safety and insurance purposes as well
14:46
and reimbursement
14:48
the second Hot Topic that seemed to be
14:51
everywhere was technology technology
14:54
plays and will continue to play a
14:56
pivotal role in transforming every
14:58
aspect of the surgery center experience
15:01
the sessions vendors all the candid
15:04
discussions at aska proved this yet
15:06
again to be true you walk around the
15:08
exhibit hall and almost every vendor
15:11
there is offering some form of
15:13
Technology whether directly indirectly
15:15
you can’t escape it so three highlights
15:18
related to tech technology will help you
15:21
maximize the patient experience of
15:22
course this will lead to improved
15:24
patient intake real-time procedural
15:27
communication early recovery after
15:29
surgery and then better management
15:31
recovery of poor patient experiences as
15:34
well
15:36
second takeaway centers that are
15:38
embracing technology are winning and
15:40
happy with their decision Tracy
15:42
opichowski is the director of quality
15:45
management and Regulatory Compliance at
15:48
Allied physician Surgery Center and her
15:50
Center has done an excellent job of
15:52
adopting technology into its day-to-day
15:54
workflow and when asked during a panel
15:56
what is one piece of advice you would
15:59
give your peers who are considering
16:01
implementing any technology she replied
16:04
just do it
16:06
the third takeaway the ASC industry is
16:09
seeing the same Trends as the fintech
16:11
industry if you’re not familiar it’s
16:13
definitely worth going down a small
16:15
YouTube rabbit hole to see the evolution
16:17
of the fintech industry but Innovations
16:20
in finance and Technology have led to
16:22
the emergence of what I’m calling the
16:24
fintech industry and it’s believed that
16:26
Healthcare is following the same path
16:29
and we’ll see a continued focus on AI
16:31
Cloud big data and more
16:35
and last but certainly not least the
16:38
third Hot Topic has to be culture and
16:40
inclusivity the ASC ecosystem
16:43
encompasses a wide range of stakeholders
16:46
Physicians patients families staff board
16:50
members owners payers but of course your
16:52
local community and so on so because of
16:55
that fostering a culture of belonging
16:58
and inclusivity and respect is super
17:00
important for ensuring long-term
17:03
sustainability and success embracing
17:05
diversity and understanding the
17:07
importance of diversity among all of
17:09
your stakeholders will only enhance the
17:12
overall experience for everyone involved
17:13
and ultimately Drive positive outcomes
17:16
began to sum this up with three
17:19
takeaways create a culture of belonging
17:22
so a sense of belonging can foster a
17:25
greater sense of purpose for every
17:26
employee within their work environment
17:28
and you can foster inclusion through
17:31
listening sessions engagement surveys
17:33
Career Development onboarding tactics
17:35
and other tactics as well
17:38
the second is understanding the role we
17:40
all play in reducing the disparity of
17:43
care Mora cash is the vice president of
17:45
clinical strategies at HST Pathways and
17:48
she shared that while the world wants us
17:51
to speed up in order to properly address
17:53
social determinants of Health sometimes
17:56
we must slow down
17:58
and lastly Foster a larger more
18:01
inclusive community and create your
18:03
organization’s beliefs and values
18:05
participate in local events to educate
18:07
your community and be more vocal about
18:09
the value you bring
18:12
so those were the three most talked
18:13
about topics that I saw anesthesia
18:15
technology and inclusivity
18:19
and just Switching gears to two other
18:21
pieces of news if you have not heard
18:23
already the first is that National
18:25
medical billing services has rebranded
18:27
to Nimble solutions to reflect its
18:30
values of agility Innovation and client
18:33
centricity the name change signifies the
18:36
company’s commitment to problem solving
18:38
Innovation and meeting client needs the
18:41
company’s president and founder Lisa
18:43
Rock emphasize their dedication passion
18:46
and commitment to clients aiming to
18:48
transform the healthcare industry
18:50
through Innovation and exceeding
18:51
expectations so very cool I love the way
18:55
the new brand looks and excited to see
18:57
what they do with it
18:59
and lastly Kathy Bryant former CEO of
19:03
ASCA was honored with the nap Gary
19:05
Legacy award for lifetime achievement in
19:08
the ASC Community presented by Dr David
19:11
Shapiro the award recognizes Brian’s
19:13
exceptional leadership during her tenor
19:16
from 1998 to 2010 and under her guidance
19:20
ASCA transformed into a prominent
19:22
Advocate and influential voice for
19:24
surgery centers Nationwide the award
19:27
commemorates Brian’s significant
19:29
contributions to the community following
19:31
in the footsteps of ASE leader nap Gary
19:35
and that officially wraps up our ask a
19:38
recap episode if you think we missed
19:40
anything please head over to hst’s
19:42
LinkedIn page and let us know leave us a
19:44
comment and thank you as always for
19:47
spending a few minutes of your week with
19:48
us make sure to subscribe or leave a
19:51
review on whichever platform you’re
19:52
listening from I hope you have a great
19:54
day and we will see you again next week
20:02
why are you keeping me
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