ASC CEO Discusses Surgery Center Benefits as Guest Columnist

Kathleen Allman, CEO of Millennium Surgery Center in Bakersfield, Calif., recently appeared as a guest columnist in a monthly business publication that is distributed in her local newspaper, The Bakersfield Californian.

Her column discussed healthcare cost control and the role of outpatient surgery centers in reducing healthcare costs.

Although Ms. Allman was approached by the paper for the opportunity, she encourages other surgery center leaders to use the local media to promote the ASC industry.

"I take every opportunity I can to get out the 'surgery center story,'" she says. "Promoting the efficiency of surgery centers to the public is important for our industry and its continued success."

Surgery center leaders can find contact information for local media contacts by calling their local paper and asking to speak with the reporters assigned to the "healthcare beat," or by reading healthcare-related stories published by their local newspaper online. Reporters frequently include their contact information in their byline or at the end of the article.

To ensure that her column best represented the interests of surgery centers, Ms. Allman reached out to the ASC Association for help. Staff at the ASC Association read a draft of her column and offered data and other suggestions to help Ms. Allman tell the surgery center story.

Ms. Allman also suggests that ASC leaders invite their state legislators and local member of Congress to visit their ASCs. Ms. Allman invited Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-California) to her center during National Open House month, and he observed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure during his time at the center.

"We are always encouraged to contact our Congressmen to get the word out about our industry," she says. "Why not invite them to visit your facility?"

Read Ms. Allman's column about surgery center cost savings.