CASA Board Advocates for ASCs in Sacramento
Michael Stuntz, Beth LaBouyer, Mary Whitmore, Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa), Tara Vail, Sarah Lancara, Binh Nguyen
On January 17, 2023, CASA Board members held several meetings with key California legislators discussing ASCs and their impact for their constituents and California at large. The Board met with 16 members from both the Assembly and Senate, many who hold key committee appointments with ASC oversight.
The Board’s key talking points included:
- ASCs have an excellent track record of patient safety.
- ASCs create major cost savings for the healthcare system.
- ASCs only take certain patients, for certain procedures.
- ASCs are highly regulated under a series of Medicare certification, state licensing and by accreditation agencies.
- There are certain cardiology procedures that should now be authorized to be performed in the ASC setting.
It is essential that CASA continues to educate elected officials about the value of the industry - there has been a big turnover this year with a large class of new Freshman legislators who are unfamiliar with ASCs, and there will be many new bills moving through the process that will trigger political debate on how healthcare is managed, delivered, paid for, and regulated. CASA will continue to advocate for the ASC industry and its growing role in treating patients safely, affordably, and efficiently.
Eric Boon, Tersa Lech, Assembly Member Jim Wood ( D-Santa Rosa), Carrie Millsap, Kyle Michaelis, Brad Heaton
CASA’s 2 physician Board members, Dr. Michael Stuntz and Dr. Kyle Michaelis, took time from their busy patient schedules to participate in the day of advocacy. It was an important opportunity as physicians to relay how they utilize ASCs in their practice and the impact this has on patient care and healthcare access. Dr. Michaelis stated, “What an exciting legislative day for CASA and its board members. I’m very appreciative of all the Assembly and Senate members who took the time to discuss important issues in the ASC space. It’s time to catch up with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the 40 plus other states who are doing elective heart catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI ) procedures in ASCs. Our patients deserve improved access to safe, efficient cardiac procedures that save themselves and Medicare a significant percentage."
Brad Heaton, Carrie Millsap, newly elected Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains (D-Bakersfield), Kyle Michaelis, Rita Reyes-Williamson, Eric Boon
Legislative days like this are crucial for ASCs as many lawmakers are not familiar with the extensive services and cost reductions surgery centers provide. Establishing these relationships and subsequent education efforts lay important groundwork as healthcare issues arise during the legislative session. This was a first-time experience for newly elected CASA Board Member Binh Nguyen. He summed up his involvement with the following statement. “My first trip to Sacramento was very educational and enlightening. I found that most lawmakers were very interested in learning more about surgery centers and how we can better serve patients. Surgery centers provide excellent patient care, accessibility, cost savings to patients & insurance carriers versus the traditional hospital, but these values or selling points have not caught on as much as you would imagine.”
This is just one way the CASA Board is working hard for our membership throughout the year. The CASA Board has a robust strategic plan to advance the ASC industry in California and assist our members to be successful.
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