Patient safety is always the No. 1 priority for healthcare providers, especially during surgery when patients are sedated. And that focus on safety is particularly critical for ambulatory surgery centers, since procedures performed there are outside of a traditional hospital setting.
Gastrointestinal procedures make up the largest share of overall ASC-based case volume in the United States.[1] For these and other common outpatient procedures, clinical excellence by anesthesia providers is mandatory. These services, in particular, must integrate seamlessly into every aspect of a facility’s clinical and administrative operations, so that patients stay safe and the high standards set by regulators, accreditation bodies and internal guidelines are met.
Are you less than 100 percent confident your anesthesia service provider is adhering to the most rigorous compliance-related policies and procedures? If so, your patients’ safety may be at risk. First and foremost, your anesthesia partner should make sure you have exceptional talent providing your anesthesia care. In addition, here are five questions every GI-focused outpatient facility should be able to answer confidently about their anesthesia provider:
- Are updated and evolving clinical standards regularly incorporated into the facility’s policies and procedures?
- Are performance-based peer reviews utilized as evaluative clinical tools?
- Are all policies and procedures consistent with Medicare requirements and guidelines and monitored as these standards evolve?
- Are all policies and procedures compliant under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act?
- Are all providers clinically experienced, with appropriate credentialing, licensing, competency, and oversight?
Delivering patient comfort and superior clinical competency while eliminating compliance risk requires an anesthesia provider to take complete ownership of the quality of service and maintain a perfect compliance record with all accreditation agencies. You’ve got enough on your mind already delivering great patient care. Don’t you want an anesthesia partner that gives you the confidence you deserve?
HIPAA violations involving protected health information are an emerging area of risk for outpatient providers. In the first case of its kind, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services fined an Illinois health system $475,000 to settle potential HIPAA violations related to a PHI data breach.[2]
Compliance is important not only for keeping your patients safe, but also for staying competitive in a crowded healthcare market. Your anesthesia provider should guarantee 100 percent clinical, administrative and operational compliance to ensure patient safety remains the top priority at your facility.
Click here to learn how the CarePlus Compliance Confidence Program can help your GI-focused outpatient facility.
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[1] Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, “ASCs: A Positive Trend in Healthcare,” accessed 2017
[2] U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, “First HIPAA enforcement action for lack of timely breach notification settles for $475,000,” January 2017