Colorado Endoscopy Centers, LLC
Established in November 2005, Colorado Endoscopy Center (CEC), LLC is an independent pure endoscopy center providing outstanding quality endoscopic care. Diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopies are the only procedures performed at Colorado Endoscopy Center, LLC.
Our mission is to provide outstanding quality endoscopic care to our patients in a safe, friendly compassionate environment.
We insure quality of care by closely monitoring multiple aspects of the endoscopy center. This is done by maintaining certification from various independent credentialing organizations (see below).
Credentials
CEC is a Medicare certified facility. Medicare certification was obtained without restriction in 2005-2006. Medicare has specific, stringent guidelines that many endoscopy centers do not attain on their first application for certification. CEC, LLC is proud to state that Medicare certification was obtained with excellence on our first application. Additionally, the Center has maintained this certification for the past 5 years. In 2010, a spontaneous, unannounced Medicare review lasting two days was successfully completed, again with excellence.
Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care
(http://www.aaahc.org/eweb/StartPage.aspx)
AAAHC is an independent organization that specializes in outpatient facilities. Certification is voluntary and is not required by Medicare or private carriers. This prestigious organization reviews endoscopy centers throughout the country to insure the highest quality care.
Licensure through this organization show that the endoscopy center wishes to be independently evaluated and criticized. It also shows that the endoscopy center plans to attain and maintain the highest endoscopic standards.
AAAHC awards various levels of licensure. The most prestigious licensure is the unrestricted, three-year licensure. This designation indicates that the endoscopy center has met rigorous standards. Colorado Endoscopy Center attained this prestigious designation on its first application. This is an uncommon event and indicates the degree of planning and insight into endoscopic care that Colorado Endoscopy Center applies to all aspects of patient care.
In 2008, Colorado Endoscopy Center, LLC was awarded a second unrestricted license by AAAHC. At that time, reviewers were pleased with the consistent quality standard provided during the previous license.
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE)
The ASGE is the premier medical society for gastrointestinal endoscopy. Comprised of physicians who perform endoscopic procedures from all medical disciplines, the ASGE instituted a program designed to assess quality endoscopy. This program entitled the ASGE Quality Endoscopy Recognition Program requires that the endoscopy unit be certified by AAAHC prior to being considered for the designation.
Colorado Endoscopy Center, LLC applied and received the first designation as a Quality Endoscopy Unit in Colorado. No other Boulder county facility has attained such a national level of recognition.
Voluntary External Review
Colorado Endoscopy Center, LLC has an independent external review for cases performed at the Center. Cases are selected on a random basis and submitted to this University of Colorado Therapeutic Endoscopist for review. This voluntary external review was initiated at the opening of Colorado Endoscopy Center, LLC as part of the quality review process. Our outside consultants, including the University reviewer, have indicated that we need not continue with this process as our track record has been clearly established as outstanding. Nevertheless, Colorado Endoscopy Center, LLC has continued this process, at our expense, to insure that the highest standards are maintained for all our patients.
Procedural Data
Detection of polyps during screening procedures is critical for patient care. The rate at which polyps are detected during the first (i.e. index) study is critical to patient care. Detection rates vary significantly from physician to physician. Physicians may elect to publish their data if they desire, as there is no mandate to do so.
Dr. Jensen's Procedural Data
Colon Cancer Polyp Detection rates:
(Index Polyp Detection Rate is defined as: Average risk patient and an excellent preparation)
- 2008 Index Polyp Detection Rate - 39%
- 43 %
Reference: National Polyp detection rate average – 28%
Withdrawal time: 8 minutes (>6 minutes recommended)
Cost of Procedures – Not all Endoscopy Centers are created Equal!
Background
In general, ambulatory surgical centers are independently owned and managed by physicians. These independent centers perform a vital function for patient care by providing lower cost per case. For this reason, ASC’s have flourished since their inception in the early 1990’s.
Medicare, as well as private insurance carriers, reimburse an ASC (called the facility fee) at approximately 1/3 the rate reimbursed to a hospital. Medicare reimburses physicians (the professional fee) at a lower rate when procedures are done in an independent, non-hospital based facility. The reason physicians work in an ASC setting is due to efficiency (i.e. less wasted time waiting for hospital facilities and decreased travel time) while maintaining high quality care.
Quality
See our section on quality for details regarding the qualifications of Colorado Endoscopy Center, LLC to perform your studies.
Not All Endoscopy Centers are Created Equal
Some endoscopy centers are partially owned by hospital organizations resulting in significantly increased facility fees. These joint ventures (physician and hospital as co-owners) are usually outpatient facilities that are not physically located within a hospital.
Hospital lobbying organizations have successfully increased hospital facility fees for decades. As a rule of thumb, a hospital facility fee is 300% more than an ASC facility in Boulder County. This is important to patients as insurance contracts vary resulting a potential substantial increase in the deductible to patients when a procedure in done in such a facility. Patients with high deductibles appear to be most at risk.
At the time of this writing, Colorado Endoscopy Center is the only single specialty (i.e. pure endoscopy) center in Boulder County that is NOT hospital owned. As a result, we provide significantly decreased costs to patients and the healthcare system. As a result, your direct out of pocket costs are likely to be significantly decreased when compared to other similar facilities.
Summary
Colorado Endoscopy Center, LLC provides:
- Documented Outstanding Endoscopy
- National Accreditation that is unequalled by similar Boulder County endoscopy centers.
- Colon Polyp detection rates (39-43% - see above) significantly higher than the national average (28%)
- Significantly lower facility fees when compared to similar Boulder County Hospital based endoscopy centers.