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SC contemplates new ASC, offers cash to Medicaid providers

Ambulatory Surgery Reimbursement Update, December 28, 2004

A new ambulatory surgery center (ASC) may be moving into South Carolina, according to The State newspaper of Columbia. And when it gets there, it might just have the opportunity to get some cash from the state's health department for a housewarming gift.

It was reported, in the December 22 edition of The State, that Dr. Siva Chockalingam has applied for state approval to open the Berkeley Endoscopy Center, a proposed $5.2 million ASC specializing in gastroenterology. It has not been determined when the proposal will go before the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, but Chockalingham hopes to open his facility by April 2006.
 
Also reported, in the December 20 edition of The State, was a story about an initiative by the South Carolina Health and Human Services Department to encourage new ideas for saving money for the state's Medicaid program. Medicaid providers are being asked to submit cost-saving ideas to the HHSD, with a cash reward of up to $500 promised to providers whose ideas are adopted.

There is a catch, of course. To earn the $500, facilities or physicians must make their suggestion and have it reviewed by a committee. If the suggestion is deemed good enough, it is implemented statewide for one year. If, at the end of that year, Medicaid funds have indeed been saved, the originator of the suggested improvement is awarded 10% of the state's savings, up to $500.

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