Digital Debut

ASCA Survey Respondents Provide Preferences for Educational Events

Meeting format and session topics get votes

BY ALEX TAIRA | MAY 2022

ASCA conducted its seventh 60-Second Survey in April and asked questions regarding preferences for ASCA educational events, such as the annual conference and winter seminars. The survey received 180 responses.

ASCA introduced the 60-Second Survey, a bimonthly survey series, in March 2021. As the name suggests, each survey takes 60 seconds or less to complete and asks fewer than 10 questions on a current topic. The topic changes survey to survey and each aims to take the pulse of the ASC community to help ASCA better serve its members and the industry at large.

Survey Results

Last month in Dallas, ASCA held its first in-person annual conference since the pandemic began. Although virtual versions of the annual conference in 2020 and 2021 were well received, it was clear from attendee feedback in Dallas that members preferred the benefits of an in-person conference. The survey results backed up this finding. When asked about preferences for attending conferences, 62 percent of respondents (112/180) said they preferred in-person events. Just 17 percent of respondents said they preferred virtual conferences.

ASCA’s winter seminars, usually smaller events than ASCA’s annual conference, feature fewer exhibitors and more specific educational tracks, such as coding or infection prevention, rather than the diversity of sessions offered at the annual conference. The 2023 Winter Seminar will take place from January 12 to January 14 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. More than half, 55 percent, of respondents (99/179) in the April 60-Second Survey said they have never attended an ASCA winter seminar. Furthermore, respondents’ preferences for attending seminars differed starkly from that of conferences, with 45 percent of respondents (80/178) saying they preferred to attend seminars virtually, almost double the proportion that favored virtual conferences.

Respondent feedback to the April survey will be vital as ASCA’s education and meetings staff work to put together the agenda for the 2023 Winter Seminar in Las Vegas. When asked about the most important factor when considering attending the seminar, survey respondents overwhelmingly chose content as most important (69 percent). The next most important factor was location, selected by 10 percent of respondents. When asked about content topics that attendees would like to see covered at the Las Vegas Winter Seminar, the top three topic areas were regulatory (19.8 percent), quality (16.3 percent) and infection prevention (15.8 percent). The next three most frequently selected topics were finance, human resources, and coding/billing, although at least 10 percent of respondents did not select any of those topics. Other topics suggested by survey respondents included contracting and revenue cycle management, COVID-19 impacts and patient experience improvement.

Keep an eye on the ASCA website and social posts for additional information on the upcoming Winter Seminar, including registration information and agendas. Write Alex Taira with questions about this survey or to propose topics for future surveys.