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Free Blood Pressure Screenings Are Part of National Showcase of ASCs as High-Quality, Cost-Effective Alternative to Hospitals
Culpeper, VA (August 16, 2006) – Culpeper Surgery Center
opened its doors to offer free health screenings today as part of a national
effort to educate more people about a high-quality and cost-effective option
for outpatient surgery.
Culpeper Surgery Center, which has been open in Culpeper since 2003, offers a variety of surgical procedures such as Ear Nose & Throat, Endoscopy, General Surgery, Podiatry, Pain, Ophthalmology, Gynecology, and Urology. Even though the ASC treats more than 2000 patients every year, many community members are unaware that the ASC offers an option to traditional, large hospitals when planning surgery.
“Ambulatory surgery centers offer a high-quality, cost-effective option for many outpatient procedures,” said Michelle Roybal. “As health care costs rise and people grow more concerned about access to care, consumers should be aware that there are alternatives – and that’s why we invited the community here today.”
For many who have experienced impersonal healthcare services in the past, Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs), like Culpeper Surgery Center are a welcome resource. ASCs are facilities where surgeries are performed that do not require hospital admission and where recovery time is usually less than 23 hours, such as colonoscopies, hernia repair, cataract, and tonsils and adenoids. Patients arrive on the day of the procedure, have the surgery in a fully equipped operating room and recover under the care of the nursing staff – all without hospital admission.
The second annual national ASC Open House campaign has ASCs across the country reaching out to local communities to help create better-informed health care consumers. ASCs are providing educational lectures, performing free screenings – like blood pressure tests and eye exams – and giving facility tours so that people can see firsthand the real difference ASCs offer.
The campaign comes as both federal and state policy makers are considering proposals that will directly affect the future availability of ASCs for patients, including those on Medicare. Decisions made will affect patients’ access to care and the amount beneficiaries pay for services, since ASCs typically cost less than hospitals for the same procedures.
“Thankfully, most people have not had to have surgery. But what this means is that more people know where to get the best neighborhood coffee, than where to get great surgical care,” said FASA’s Executive Vice President Kathy Bryant. “ASCs offer increased access, improved quality and decreased costs – more people need to know about them.”
Performing nearly 8 million surgeries a year in more than 4,000 ASCs nationwide, ASCs are a fast growing segment of the American health care industry performing surgical procedures at a lower cost and higher volume than hospitals. In a hospital, there are typically two outpatient procedures performed each morning, interspersed with emergency cases, inpatient surgeries and cleanup. In an ASC, it is normal to have four cases every morning.
For Medicare patients, the savings can be significant. The maximum co-payment for a Medicare patient’s surgery in an ASC is 20 percent, a payment that can rise up to 50 percent for the same procedure in a hospital. ASCs that receive Medicare payments must meet the program’s certification criteria and receive payments only for those procedures that have been approved by Medicare. Today, more than 2,400 ASC procedures have been granted that approval.
The Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association (FASA) is the nation’s largest association of ambulatory surgery centers, is a national, nonprofit association that represents the interests of those who operate and seek the services of ambulatory surgery centers throughout the nation. The organization represents 1,400 ASCs and thousands of professionals who provide care and services in such ASCs across the nation. Visit FASA online at www.fasa.org.
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