1. Your surgery center, located in the small town of Belpre, Ohio, draws from a large rural area. You and your partner perform about 2,800 cataract surgeries per year and provide cornea and retina services. What motivated you to get involved in advocating for ASCs?

I got involved with ASC advocacy in 2002, shortly after my partner and I started our center, because I thought it was important to be proactive in ensuring that legislation supports our ASC and doesn’t hinder our goals. From 2002 to 2008, I served on the board of directors for the American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (AAASC), now the ASC Association (ASCA), and I served on its board as well. I later joined OOSS and was appointed to the board in 2007. Today, I’m a member of the organization’s leadership team.

At the start, I wanted to advocate for hospital market basket payment updates, instead of the Consumer Price Index. OOSS was finally able to achieve that change last year. It takes time to move the needle, but OOSS can succeed because we’re in Washington, DC, talking to people at CMS and promoting the specific interests of ophthalmic ASCs.

2. What legislative projects are being addressed by OOSS now?

OOSS often works to prevent unnecessary regulations coming to life. There’s always some regulation brewing in the background, so we keep our ears to the ground in the U.S. Congress and CMS, as well as at the state level. We want the opportunity to give input from the ophthalmic ASC’s perspective before regulations are signed into law. For example, OOSS is trying to discourage CMS from requiring ASC cost reporting, which would be costly and time-consuming without delivering useful data.

3. OOSS also promotes networking in ophthalmology. How have the relationships you’ve established through OOSS helped you and your ASC?

Networking has been a really positive thing for me. I’ve been able to work with this wonderful group of peers and make lasting friendships. I’ve learned a lot from OOSS board members, all of whom are leaders with exceptional experience. I can reach out to them when I have questions. I’ve also used OOSS Talk, a relatively new online forum where members can post questions to find out how other surgery centers have handled similar situations. I’ve gotten some very helpful replies to my questions.

4. Are there any new OOSS resources in the works?

At a strategic planning meeting a few years ago, we came up with several initiatives, including OOSS Talk, a staff education program called OOSS University, and a nonprofit program we’re working on called OOSS Gives. Our partnership with The Ophthalmic ASC is relatively new as well, and our members give it excellent reviews. Recently, we partnered with IMQ, a facility-credentialing surveyor, to provide credentialing surveys for ophthalmic ASCs. We have our next strategic planning meeting this September, and I think we’ll see more good things come out of that.

5. What’s the most important thing for ASC owners and surgeons to know about OOSS?

The most important point is that OOSS is the only group that advocates for the specific interests of ophthalmic ASCs — period. Everything we do is geared toward the interests of our members — ophthalmic ASC owners — and we encourage all ASCs to join OOSS. Beyond our advocacy efforts, we offer educational materials for the ASC staff, benchmarking to help run your ASC, and the other resources I mentioned. As an ASC owner, I think it’s exciting to have an organization that focuses entirely on ophthalmic ASCs and can understand our needs, as well as advocate for regulations that affect ASCs. ■

David S. George, MD, MHCM, treasurer and VP-elect of OOSS and founder of Physicians Outpatient Surgery Center, Belpre, OH, details the benefits and future of advocating for ASCs.