![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.jpg)
Key Objectives:
As procedures performed in ambulatory surgery centers become more prevalent, advanced, and invasive, public health focus on these facilities has also been heightened. However, oversight standards across states and local jurisdictions are not consistent. The purpose of this roundtable presentation is to discuss states’ public health involvement in ambulatory surgery centers and to present the experience of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in their outreach efforts to ambulatory surgery centers.
Brief Summary:
This session will present findings from a multi-state analysis of ambulatory surgery center oversight, reporting, and public health outreach activities. In the majority of states, ambulatory surgery centers are required to be licensed by the state or issued a certificate of need for operation. For the remaining six states, a combination of licensing, accreditation or certification is required; one state requires no oversight. Additionally, the definition of ambulatory surgery varies across states, sometimes including office-based surgery. Healthcare-associated infection data reporting are rarely required or made publicly available. Representatives from Los Angeles County will present their experience in creating a unit devoted to healthcare-associated infections in ambulatory care settings. Prior contact between the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and ambulatory surgery centers has only involved outbreak investigations and patient notification events, rather than regular reporting of events or preventive outreach efforts. Beginning in 2012, a statewide workgroup comprised of public health officials in California sought to assess and improve oversight of ambulatory surgery centers. Their efforts to pass comprehensive policy on infection control in ambulatory surgery centers in California have met strong opposition. Rather than state-wide legislation, Los Angeles County public health officials have instead collaborated with the state Medical Association, accrediting organizations, and professional organizations. Dialogue and data-sharing between these entities continue to illustrate the role of public health in ambulatory surgery centers in Los Angeles County. During this session, attendees are invited to share their perspectives on public health activities in ambulatory surgery centers. Specifically, state surveillance activities, including the anticipated reporting module in the National Healthcare Safety Network via an Outpatient Procedure Component and the upcoming CMS-required infection reporting will be a topic of discussion. Preventative outreach strategies to reduce infections and increase patient safety, beyond only policy options, will be discussed.