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Fourth Annual today's
surgicenter Conference Attracts Over
200 Ambulatory Surgery Center Professionals
Press Contact: Jennifer Schraag
Managing Editor
Virgo Publishing
(480) 990-1101 ext. 1675; jschraag@vpico.com
Virgo Publishing Announces
Another Successful Conference
LAS VEGAS – Back by popular demand, the fourth annual
today's surgicenter conference was held in Las Vegas on
September 27-29 at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino. The
conference offers ambulatory surgery center owners, operators
and investors three 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
year.
Virgo has become known for their 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 River Pointe Surgery Center
located in Elkhart, Ind., returned to the conference this year
with two of her colleagues in tow. Clara attended last year’s
conference and returned because, “The information I got 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/exhibitors.html.
After 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 located in Huntington Beach,
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, Harmony Surgery Center, Fort Collins, CO and
William J. Welsh, MD, Summerville Surgical Center, 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 www.surgicenterconference.com
frequently for the latest updates.
Virgo Publishing Medical Group publishes ICT:
Infection Control Today, today's
surgicenter, Renal
Business Today, EndoNurse
and our newest publication Immediate
Care Business magazines, as well as produces the today's
surgicenter Conference and the ICT
Conference for Professional Development.
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