If you’ve been hired to oversee an ASC’s opening, you’ll want to make sure you have the following documents on hand: CMS’s Conditions of Coverage, if you’re seeking Medicare certification; the ASC, pharmacy and radiation regulations for your state; and the accreditation standards of the agency that will be surveying your facility.
Anita Lambert-Gale, RN, MES, also recommends obtaining the latest editions of the National Fire Protection Association’s Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) and Standard for Health Care Facilities (NFPA 99), the American Institute of Architects’ Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospital and Health Care Facilities, AORN’s standards and Nancy Burden’s book, Ambulatory Surgical Nursing. For online reference, the Web sites for CMS, AORN, your accreditor, your state and national ASC organizations and credentialing services might also prove helpful, says Ms. Lambert-Gale, vice president of clinical operations for Healthmark Partners in Nashville, Tenn.
For more tips, see "Countdown to Success," Ms. Lambert-Gale’s month-by-month timeline for setting up a surgery center, which appeared in OSM’s 2008 Manager’s Guide to New Surgical Construction.
—David Bernard
