In this special episode of the ASC Podcast with John Goehle, recorded at the California Ambulatory Surgery Association's Annual Conference, held September 1st through 4th at the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey, California, John talks to some of the speakers, and the board president. Then he walks through four sessions from the meeting — electronic distraction in the OR, emergency management and life safety, accreditation readiness, and a panel of the accrediting organizations on what they want you to know.
This episode is sponsored by Surgical Information Systems, RFX Solutions, Medserve and Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies.
Notes and Resources from this Episode:
California Ambulatory Surgery Association (CASA)
Annual Conference 2026 — September 1–4, 2026, Monterey Conference Center, Monterey, California
Speakers Interviewed from the Conference:
Michelle George — general session: “Fueling Excellence: Elevate. Execute. Excel”
Carrie Millsap — President, California Ambulatory Surgery Association; Chief Executive Officer, Monterey Peninsula Surgery Centers
Kara Newbury, JD — Chief Advocacy Officer, Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (session: “CA and National Legislative Update”)
David Shapiro, MD — anesthesiologist, ASC surveyor and longtime industry leader (also presented “Position Your ASC for Accreditation Success”)
2026 Multi-State Conference — presented with the state ASC associations: asc-central.com/2026-multi-state-conference
Sessions Recapped in This Episode:
Peter Papadakos, MD — “Optimizing Team Performance: Managing Digital Distractions in the OR”
Richard Parker — “Emergency Management, Physical Environment, and Life Safety in ASCs”
David Shapiro, MD — “Position Your ASC for Accreditation Success”
“Checkered Flag Finish: What the Experts Want You to Know” — panel of accrediting organization representatives (AAAHC, The Joint Commission, QUAD A, DNV and ACHC), moderated by Janet Miller
ASC Quality Collaboration — nine free ASC Toolkits (endoscope reprocessing, environmental infection prevention, hand hygiene, point-of-care devices, patient falls, safe injection practices, single-use device reprocessing, sterilization and high-level disinfection, and wrong-site prevention): ascquality.org/toolkits
CASA upcoming events: Infection Prevention Conference — November 2026, virtual [VALIDATE dates]; CASA Annual Conference 2027 — Huntington Beach, California [VALIDATE dates]
ANNOUNCEMENT - Live Conference Week, September 22-25, 2026 - Premium Access and AHS Client Access members attend free: asc-central.com - Conferences & Programs
Tuesday, September 22 - Infection Control Oversight 101 (IC101): asc-central.com/ic101-2026
Wednesday, September 23 - Infection Control Coordinator Training (IC 201): asc-central.com/ic201-2026
Thursday, September 24 - Quality Improvement & Peer Review (QAPI): asc-central.com/qapi-2026
Friday, September 25 - Article 28 Mastery, New York D&TC and ASC: asc-central.com/article-28-2026
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ASC PODCAST WITH JOHN GOEHLE
ASC Central is our one-stop site for ASC bootcamps, live and on-demand conferences, and membership programs — now at asc-central.com (the old conferences.asc-central.com address has been retired).
Patron Membership — $25/month, individual: the full resource library (policies, forms, drill kits, templates), weekly drop-in Zoom sessions, all six recorded conferences, the member forum, the complete podcast library, and The Survey Guide for ASCs, 2026 Edition with Appendices A–N. Become a Patron Member
Premium Access — $3,995/year, covering your entire surgery center (not per person): everything in Patron, plus the Administrator, Director of Nursing and Business Office Manager Bootcamps, the ASC Leadership Mastery Course, Infection Control 101 & 201 (CAIP preparation), Annual Mandatory Education, compliance tools and self-assessments, certificates with AEUs and IPCH credits, every new conference we release, and up to five hours of private consulting a year. Sign up for Premium Access
Compare both programs: asc-central.com/memberships
Important Resources for ASCs:
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div5&view=text&node=42:3.0.1.1.3&idno=42#se42.3.416_150Infection Control Survey Tool (Used by Surveyors for Infection Control) https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107_exhibit_351.pdfUpdated Guidance for Ambulatory Surgical Centers - Appendix L of the State Operations Manual (SOM) https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107ap_l_ambulatory.pdfhttps://www.cms.gov/medicareprovider-enrollment-and-certificationsurveycertificationgeninfopolicy-and-memos-states-and/updated-guidance-ambulatory-surgical-centers-appendix-l-state-operations-manual-somPolicy & Memos to States and Regions CMS Quality Safety & Oversight memoranda, guidance, clarifications and instructions to State Survey Agencies and CMS Regional Offices.https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/Policy-and-Memos-to-States-and-RegionsOther Resources from the ASC Podcast with John Goehle:
Visit the ASC Podcast with John Goehle Website
Get a copy of John’s most popular book - The Survey Guide - A Guide to the CMS Conditions for Coverage & Interpretive Guidelines for Ambulatory Surgery Centers