Fourth Annual today's surgicenter Conference Attracts 200-Plus Ambulatory Surgery Professionals

LAS VEGAS – Back by popular demand, the fourth annual today's surgicenter conference was held in at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Sept. 27-29.  The conference offers ambulatory surgery center (ASC) owners, operators and investors two days of seminars, networking events and exhibits.  Produced by Virgo Publishing Medical Group, publisher of today's surgicenter magazine, and developed with Stryker Corporation. Lorin Patterson, JD, partner at Reed Smith, was the conference chair for the fourth consecutive year.

Virgo has become known for its strong educational agenda and this year was no exception, with a pre-conference workshop on Thursday afternoon, addressing the nuts and bolts of launching an ASC. Clara Taylor, administrator at RiverPointeSurgeryCenter in Elkhart, Ind., returned to the conference this year with two of her colleagues in tow. Taylor attended last year’s conference and returned because, “The information I received was very useful when I went back to talk to the board members and physician owners,” she explained.

Following the workshop Virgo officially kicked off the conference with exhibits and a networking reception. With a passport program directing attendees through the hall, exhibitors enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their products and services in a relaxed atmosphere.  To view a list of companies that exhibited, visit http://www.surgicenterconference.com/2007/exhib.html.

Following opening remarks and continental breakfast hosted by HealthCare Appraisers,

Friday’s general sessions began with the “State of the Industry Report and Legislative Update.” After a quick mid-morning break sponsored by Medical Consulting Group attendees returned to learn about the “Changing Face of ASC Reimbursement and Enhancing Business Operations for Improved Revenue Streams.”

Today’s surgicenter was proud to present John Shufeldt, CEO of HealthyBid, as the luncheon speaker, giving a dynamic talk on healthcare consumerism. After lunch attendees broke into concurrent sessions targeting topics, including “Licensing and Accreditation,” “Information Technology” and “10 ways to Increase Your Bottom Line through Billing and Coding,” to list a few. 

When Steve Vu, MD, FACS, a plastic surgeon at California Aesthetic Center in Huntington Beach, Calif., received the email announcing the topics the conference was covering, he said he registered immediately. Vu explained that he is looking into adding specialties and services to his center so the conference was a nice fit. “All of the topics covered at this conference answers a lot of questions for me,” he shared. “It is my first time hearing it. This is my first ASC industry conference.”  To view an agenda and faculty biographies, visit http://www.surgicenterconference.com/2007/faculty.html .

Friday’s events culminated with the “Evening With The Experts” roundtable event and happy hour, allowing attendees to discuss their problems one-on-one with industry insiders. Winners of the passport program were announced and congratulations go out to the winners: Rebecca Craig, administrator at Harmony Surgery Center in Fort Collins, Colo. and William J. Welsh, MD, of Summerville Surgical Center in Augusta, Ga.

The plethora of networking opportunities that were scattered throughout the event proved very favorable for all — attendees, exhibitors and speakers alike. “This conference has been the most effective networking event,” noted Tom Schmidt from Louisiana Women’s Healthcare Associates. He explained that he has attended other conferences in the past and stated, “They are so large and there are thousands of people there. Here the networking was much more accessible and successful. We’re all here focused on one thing.”

Saturday, Sept. 29 was Vision Day. After breakfast, sponsored by QSE Technologies, the day began with a discussion of where the industry is going with a presentation about consumer and market trends. A panel of industry experts then took the stage to help attendees strategize a growth plan for an ASC facility. Finally, attendees attended focused sessions for hands on instruction on various levels of expansion strategies including adding specialties or ancillary services, transitioning to a surgical hospital, developing a wellness program, creating a healthcare campus concept, and more.

Sherif Khattab, MD, a plastic surgeon representing Ocean Surgery Center located in Torrance, Calif., said he decided to come to the today’s surgicenter conference instead of traveling to farther away ASC-related conferences. He noted that he was “quite pleased,” with his decision to attend. “Everything has been perfect,” he shared.

Dates for the fifth annual today's surgicenter conference have been set for Sept. 25-27, 2008.  For more information, call (800) 454-5760 or visit ww.surgicenterconference.com.

Virgo Publishing Medical Group publishes ICT: Infection Control Today (www.infectioncontroltoday.com), today's surgicenter (www.surgicenteronline.com), Renal Business Today (www.renalbusiness.com), EndoNurse (www.endonurse.com) and our newest publication Immediate Care Business (www.immediatecarebusiness.com ) magazines as well as produces the today's surgicenter Conference (www.surgicenterconference.com) and the ICT Conference for Professional Development (www.ictconference.com). 

.