Third Annual today's surgicenter conference Attracts 288 ASC Professionals

Virgo Announces a 30 Percent Increase in Participation Over the 2005 Conference

LAS VEGAS -- Ambulatory surgery center owners, operators, and investors attended two days of seminars, networking events and exhibits at the third annual today's surgicenter conference held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Sept. 14-16, 2006. The conference was produced by Virgo Publishing, publisher of today's surgicenter magazine, and developed with Stryker Corp. Lorin Patterson, JD, a partner at Reed Smith, served as the conference chair for the third year.

“The high-caliber education program, faculty, and executive level networking opportunities are the key components to the conference’s success," said Dana Armitstead, publisher of today’s surgicenter magazine. "With today’s surgicenter, Stryker Corp., and conference chair Lorin Patterson developing the conference, the focus of the program is invaluable for ASC decision-makers."

The conference began with exhibits and a networking reception the evening of Thursday, Sept. 14. Held in the exhibit hall, attendees had the opportunity to meet a variety of exhibitors offering a variety of products and services during the reception.  To view a list of companies that exhibited, visit http://www.surgicenterconference.com/2006/exhib.html

 General sessions held on Friday, Sept. 15 addressing "Regulatory, Legal and Legislative Update" and "Payments, Reimbursements and Contracts" kicked off the education program. Afterward, attendees broke into targeted concurrent sessions for start-up and existing facilities.  Speakers in the start-up sessions discussed feasibility analysis, project and equipment financing, and business models.  The existing track covered turning around struggling ASCs, improving operating room efficiency, and co-existing in a competitive market.  The day ended with two general sessions, one addressing the benefits of building, buying or leasing when expanding an existing center or starting a new one, the second discussed adding wellness services to a facility’s offerings. To view an agenda and faculty biographies, visit http://www.surgicenterconference.com/2006/faculty.html .

“This was my first today’s surgicenter conference and I found it to be extremely organized and informative by professionals who are truly seasoned with experience and knowledge in this industry,” says Elaine Eyerman, director of the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital ASC located in Santa Rosa, Calif. “While I have functioned in a management/director position in numerous ASCs over the past 12 years, I learned many specific business and legal facts of information from a diverse group which enhanced my knowledge on a broader scale than within a single operation.

Attendees enjoyed a continental breakfast, sponsored by Foundation Surgery Affiliates, as well as catered breaks and exhibits on Friday.  Also, during Friday's plated lunch, Gene Guarino, a certified financial planner, gave a dynamic presentation, "Learn How to Trade in Today's Market and Dramatically Increase Your Portfolio's Profit Potential," which was sponsored by WizeTrade.  Friday’s events culminated with a hosted happy hour, sponsored by Jani-King International.

“The intent of the conference was to provide a wide range of unique opinions, perspectives, and options which our attendees could use to further define and develop opportunities for business within the ambulatory surgery community," says Joe Delligatti, director of marketing for Stryker Corp. "To that end, I think we were very successful in providing effective solutions for multiple issues addressing all aspects of ASC development and operations. It was an event that provided an amazing array of talent by the experts who are helping shape the future of the ASC industry."

On Saturday, the education program resumed with concurrent sessions and culminated with general sessions "Physician / Hospital Joint Ventures: A Case Study,"  "Stark 101," and “Top 10 Tips for Profitability.” Designing and equipping for efficiency and selecting a manager or billing company were addressed in the start-up track, while marketing strategies and legal strategies for recruiting and removing physician members were discussed in the existing track.

Carter Keller, who has spent many years in healthcare consulting, attended the conference because he is looking to launch his own ambulatory surgery center. He says he loved the start up track aspect of the conference, but he ultimately found it difficult to decide which track to attend as both the start up track and the existing track offered topics on which he was eager to learn.“The conference turned out to be a great resource,” Keller says.  “It answered questions that were very hard for me to answer in my own way and made me check myself in a few areas where I am weak. It also helped me to build relationships. This was such a great consolidation of the information we need to start our center.”

Over the years, Dr. Charles Friedlander says he has attended many ASC-related conferences and the today’s surgicenter conference stands out to him because “The educational sessions touched upon a lot of good topics.” Friedlander notes,“I’ve been to a number of conferences on ASCs over the years and this is one of the best,” adding that this is “primarily due to the focus, experience, and professionalism of the speakers.”

The next today's surgicenter conference is scheduled for Sept. 20-22, 2007.  For more information, call (800) 454-5760 or visit www.surgicenterconference.com

 Virgo Publishing publishes the following titles: ICT: Infection Control Today (www.infectioncontroltoday.com), today's surgicenter (www.surgicenteronline.com), Renal Business Today (www.renalbusiness.com) and EndoNurse (www.endonurse.com) magazines, as well as produces the today's surgicenter conference and the ICT Conference on Professional Development.