09/14/2016

Five ASCs Receive CASA Award for Excellence

Grass Valley Surgery Center Recognized as CASA ASC of the Year

On Thursday, September 8, 2016, CASA revealed the inaugural recipients for the CASA Award for ASC Excellence and the CASA ASC of the Year.  The awards were established to acknowledge that California ASCs are drivers of excellent healthcare, providing opportunities and solutions for healthcare reform.  Absent from our industry has been the platform to honor ASCs who strive for excellence; thus, in 2016, the CASA Board established these providential awards The program is built around 5 pillar categories acknowledging a CASA member facility who exemplifies best practices in the surgery center industry, plus actively promotes and advocates for ASC excellence and inclusion in the healthcare delivery system.

All of the centers recognized demonstrated significant involvements in the award pillar areas of:

Membership – Facility supports the ASC industry through active engagement in professional organizations.

Advocacy – Facility drives ASC related legislation at both the Federal and State level through education, action and financial contributions.

Quality Metrics – Facility drives transparency and clinical quality in the ASC through facility benchmarking and public reporting and superior performance of important metrics including outcomes, pricing and patient satisfaction.

Education – Facility ensures clinical best practices, operational efficiency and regulatory compliance through ongoing patient, staff and physician education.

Community Involvement – Facility is actively engaged in educating the public regarding the benefits of ASCs and demonstrating leadership in improving the general health of their community.

The recipients submitted applications with supporting documentation demonstrating their commitment and involvements across the pillar categories.  The applications were reviewed by a select, unbiased committee, who chose 5 of the candidates to receive the award.  From these outstanding ASCs one was selected to receive the distinguished award of CASA ASC of the Year.  The winners were announced at the annual CASA Business Meeting, during the CASA Conference, September 8, 2016.

2016 CASA Award for ASC Excellence Recipients

Grass Valley Surgery Center
PAMF Mountain View SurgiCenter
Surgecenter of Palo Alto
The Surgery Center of Long Beach
West Wilshire Medical Surgical Center

GVSC Business Office Manager Shannon Kerley, GVSC Administrator Mary Whitmore, USPI Market President and CASA President Peggy Wellman

Grass Valley Surgery Center – CASA ASC of the Year

Grass Valley Center was founded in 2005. As a multi-specialty ASC, the Center is exceptionally active in the area of advocacy; hosting three legislative tours, both state and federal level, attending multiple DC Fly-ins and is a strong CASA PAC contributor. Through the leadership of Administrator, Mary Whitmore, they drive transparency and quality through many different benchmarking activities; including CASA, Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Safety Program for ASCs, and corporate studies through United Surgical Partners International (USPI). Education is important to both the ASC and the physicians who are active participants in the education program. The staff is involved in CASA’s Infection Prevention Training and other areas of quality oversight. Grass Valley Surgery Center has reached out to their communities through membership in the local Chamber of Commerce, and substantive participation in local health fairs. They have hosted two Chamber of Commerce Mixers, and the ASC staff uses their free time to assist with the Hospital Foundation, which serves the greater communities.

WWMSC Vice President Howard Krauss MD & Administrator Veronica Rodriquez

West Wilshire Medical Surgical Center

West Wilshire Medical Surgical Center (WWMSC) was founded in 2002, and has committed itself to the highest level of multi-specialty care. The Center is dedicated to head & neck surgery, plastic surgery and ophthalmology, and has recently been expanded to include orthopedic surgery. This center was the first ASC to employ Intraoperative Navigation, and the first outpatient center to perform Trans-nasal Endoscopic Image-guided Orbital Tumor Surgery. They are exceptionally engaged within their communities; five percent of their activity is pro-bono surgery for patients of the Venice Family Clinic (which serves 20,000 low-income and homeless families). WWMSC is a committed supporter of advocacy, and has hosted numerous tours and legislative fundraisers. Their Director of Ophthalmology, Howard Krauss MD is an active member of the local County Medical Society and the California Medical Association (CMA). WWMSC, under the leadership of Veronica Rodriquez actively supports education of their staff through CASA, ASCA, and Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). 

AMSURG Regional VP of Operations, Tersa Lech and SCLB Administrator LaVerne Haller

Surgery Center of Long Beach

The Surgery Center of Long Beach has been a leading provider of outpatient surgical services since 2001. The Center is multi-specialty: including services in general surgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology, gynecology, and pain management.  They were one of the first in their area to perform total joint knee replacements to outpatients. The Surgery Center of Long Beach continues to expand and is currently initiating an outpatient total hip and shoulder program. Under the leadership of LaVerne Haller, they have been significantly involved in advocacy by hosting a legislative tour and attending the DC Fly-in. The Surgery Center of Long Beach focuses on quality metrics though participation in the CASA Benchmarking, CMS Reporting and was part of Cohort 2 of AHRQ’s Safety Program for Ambulatory Surgery Centers. They have worked with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health with their Infection Control Assessment program. The Center is a primary participant in the Health Services Advisory (HSAG) Group, Clean Hands-Safe Injections Initiative. They support ongoing education of their staff including ASCA, Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and infection prevention training. They are passionately involved in encouraging all surgical technicians and nursing staff to become certified within their specialties.  Furthermore, the ASC has participated in their local Health Fair, and has networked within their local school district, advocating on behalf of the healthcare profession, adopting families in need.

PAMF President Ben Maser MD, Sutter Surgery Centers CEO, Bill Davis, PAMF Regional Director Melody States, PAMF Surgecenter of Palo Alto Administrator, Johnny Russell,  PAMF SC San Carlos Administrator, Sandy Keating, and PAMF SC Los Altos Administrator David Villanuev

Surgecenter of Palo Alto

Founded in 1976, SurgeCenter of Palo Alto has been serving their communities for 40 years. It is a multi-specialty ASC, performing a wide variety of surgical and gastroenterology procedures including ophthalmology, "ear nose and throat", general and orthopedic specialties. They are active participants in advocacy, giving generously to the CASA Issues PAC and substantively hosting legislative tours. The center is also strongly involved in the area of quality metrics by participating in benchmarking, outcomes reporting and the AHRQs Safety Program for Ambulatory Surgery. Under the direction of Administrator Johnny Russell, the commitment to ongoing education is among the highest in the industry. They have provided a representative to every CASA educational opportunity and have been active in the APIC programs. The Center is actively engaged within their communities, and in 2015 (in cooperation with another local ASC), provided 20 patients with surgery at no cost, in order to assist with their chronic pain and improve health and quality of life.

Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) Mountain View SurgiCenter

Established in 2007, this very busy Center performs more than 15,000 outpatient procedures on an annual basis. The PAMF Mountain View SurgiCenter is a multi-specialty surgery Center, providing services in: gynecology, urology, orthopedics, “ear, nose, and throat,” podiatry, ophthalmology, general and plastic surgery. They have been proudly rated the most productive Bay Area Freestanding Surgery Center by the “San Jose Business Journal.”  Kristi Burns, Administrator, has assured the Center has been involved in advocacy through strong support of the CASA Issues Fund and hosting various legislative tours. PAMF Mountain View SurgiCenter demonstrates quality metrics through participation in CASA Benchmarking, Medicare reporting, and the AHRQS Safety Program for Ambulatory Surgery. They are strong supporters of education, attending CASA, ASCA and APIC. They demonstrate compassionate involvement by offering assistance to the needy within their communities. In 2015, they worked cooperatively with Surgery Center of Palo Alto to provide 20 patients surgery (at no cost), to assist in relieving their chronic pain and improve their health and quality of life.

The CASA Board, on behalf of our CASA Membership would like to unreservedly offer our congratulations to the above centers for a job well done.