ASCs provide control of profits, practice

THOROFARE, N.J. — With the continued decline of Medicare payments to physicians, operating in an ambulatory surgery center can be a surgeon's best option. The ASC environment allows the physician to acquire greater control of his or her practice and to provide better service to patients.

The financial rewards of an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) can help to offset Medicare cutbacks, according to several practice management consultants and surgeons who spoke with Ocular Surgery News. Currently, Medicare reimbursement is lower for a surgeon than for a surgery facility.

“Because of cost cuts, and because LASIK has not been as successful as we'd hoped as a product line, we're seeing physicians go back to the basics. We’re emphasizing cataract surgery and patient service,” said William Fishkind, MD, vice president of the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society.

But much work is required before the doors of the ASC open. Physicians must deal with architects, financial planners, state inspectors and private accreditation bodies as the process of planning and building moves forward.

More on the rewards and the demands of ASC ownership will be published in the May 1 issue of Ocular Surgery News.