Kenneth R. Ross, CEO of Solara Surgical Partners, and Bill Murphy, COO of the Southlake, Texas-based company, outline 10 steps for ambulatory surgery center administrators to maintain great relations with physician-partners.
1. Communicate directly. Nurturing a good relationship with physicians means communicating with them directly and in person. Do this as often as possible. In addition to meeting with them in board or operations meetings, seek one-on-one contacts that can be more casual. "When you have good communication pathways with physicians, it's easier to mediate problems," Mr. Ross says.
2. Keep them regularly informed. "To be a good partner to your physicians, you need to communicate what you are doing as managers," Mr. Ross says. "Don't just talk about the financial situation, but touch on other areas as well." This helps build trust.
One good way to make sure physicians are informed is to give them a secure website portal where they can access updated information, such as information on distributions, at any time. "It's important to stay in front of them with information on a regular basis," Mr. Murphy adds.
3. Provide financial information. Communicate financial status to physicians no less than monthly. "Physicians will always want financial information and how it affects their distributions," Mr. Ross says. "One reason is that this information is an indication of how well we are managing."
4. Keep physicians up on regulatory issues. "Physicians don't have the time or the staff to keep up on new regulatory issues affecting the ASC, so it helps to update them," Mr. Ross says. This can be done simply through conversations. For example, give them to big picture on requirements for electronic medical records and actions CMS may be taking that will affect reimbursement.
5. Communicate frequently with nursing staff. Talk regularly with nurses on the front lines. "They may pick up on something the doctor said, even an off-handed remark," Mr. Ross says. For example, a physician may indicate frustration about an anesthesiologist who starts cases late. "If we can hear about it right away, we can jump on top of it, before it becomes a bigger issue," Mr. Murphy says.
6. Pick up on obscure comments. Sometimes physicians will only obliquely refer to something that has really been bothering them. "In the middle of a conversation, a physician may mention a negative experience and then quickly move on to the next thing," Mr. Ross says. "He may never raise it again, so if we don't pick up on it, we lose an obvious opportunity to address the issue."
7. Relate well with the physician's staff. Regard staff in the physician's office as an extension of the physician. "He relies in his office staff to do his work," Mr. Ross says. For example, make sure the physician's scheduler can still easily get patients into the ASC. Work closely with the office on matters such as patient insurance coverage and updates of the center's approved provider list.
8. Share accomplishments. Don't be shy about mentioning administrative accomplishments and how they have helped physicians. "Physicians are always thinking, 'What has management done for me lately?' " Mr. Ross says. There is a wide range of areas to touch upon. For example, an administrator might mention how well management is carrying out the goals identified in the last budget. Share accomplishments frequently. "Constantly remind them of the latest achievements," Mr. Murphy says.
9. Have a process for dealing with conflicts. Be sure to have a formalized process in place to address conflicts as they occur, either on a one-on-one basis or through the center's medical executive committee, the medical director or at the board level. "Conflict between physicians is bound to occur, especially in competitive environments among physicians," Mr. Ross says.
For example, if one physician says a colleague is frequently tardy, disrupting scheduled OR cases, there should be a process to address this problem as quickly as possible. Having a formal process helps the center move ahead with preventive steps. "It's important not to wait too long," Mr. Ross says. "Addressing the problem well after the fact means that it becomes more difficult to resolve."
10. Don't rest on your laurels. Challenges and opportunities for surgery centers are constantly changing. "If you do a good job over a period of years, it's easy to get fat, dumb and happy," Mr. Murphy observes. "Treat every day as a new opportunity to validate the worth of your management team."
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