Alfred McNair, MD, a gastroenterologist, founded the Digestive Health Center in 1980 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he has been practicing ever since. He sees patients at four different offices in the area and performs colonoscopies, esophagogastrodeudenoscopies and Enterynx. He also has a special focus on liver disease and hepatitis illness.
Dr. McNair has several ideas about managing efficient and profitable surgery centers, especially in the area of expense and staff management. At the 18th Annual Ambulatory Surgery Centers Conference in Chicago, Dr. McNair advised administrators to confront their staff about excessive overtime and cross training staff to work anywhere in the ASC. This is especially important with the ICD-10 transition looming.
"Your staff has to be pretty bright to stay on top of [ICD-10 codes], and sometimes outsourcing it to an agency where that's all they do may make sense when it comes to maintaining profitability," he said. He also recommends conducting quarterly reviews with physicians to record physician satisfaction at the center and address any outstanding issues.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. McNair founded the Mississippi Center for Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities, where he serves as president. He is a former member of the Mississippi State Board of Health.
Dr. McNair earned his medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City and completed his residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital. His additional training includes a fellowship at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.
More Articles on ASC Leaders:
ASC Industry leader to Know: Dr. Laxmaiah Manchikanti of ASIPP
ASC Industry Leader to Know: Surgical Management Professionals' Michael Lipomi