Daren Smith Discusses Surgery Center Ancillary Services in ASC Focus

Industry experts react to the CMS Final Rule for 2024 and the impact it will have on ASCs.

Daren Smith RN BSN, vice president of ASC Solutions for Surgical Information Systems, examines the requirements for evaluation of ambulatory surgery center ancillary services in a column for ASC Focus, the magazine of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.

In this column, Smith summarizes the requirements and expectations from Medicare and accreditation organizations for ASCs to evaluate the performance of their ancillaries. He then takes a closer look at requirements concerning commonly contracted ASC services — anesthesia, housekeeping, pathology, nursing and scrub tech services, and revenue cycle services — and provides recommendations to help with evaluating these services and achieving compliance.

Smith concludes the column with tips for ASCs to make the most of their evaluation efforts. As he notes, "While evaluation of contracted services is a requirement intended to help you determine whether your third-party contractors are delivering high-quality services, the evaluation processes and information gathering required for evaluation can help your ASC do much more."

ASCA members can access the story on the ASC Focus website. Anyone, including non-ASCA members, can download this PDF of Smith's column.