At the 11th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain-Management Driven ASC Conference in Chicago on June 15, Kevin McDonald, vice president of surgery sales for SourceMedical solutions, described five key information technology considerations for ambulatory surgery centers.
1. IT is an investment, not an expense. “We don’t think about it as much in an ASC setting as we do in a hospital, but we have to budget for IT,” said Mr. McDonald. This budget should include not just the price of the software or equipment, but the cost of training staff to use it as well. He recommended exploring options for online staff training as a less expensive alternative to on-the-site training.
2. Align IT with the organization’s overall goals. Mr. McDonald recognized that ASCs were moving towards joining ACO networks, and that having the right technology would be critical. “In an ACO, an ASC needs to be able to capture and share clinical data,” he said. This will require electronic health record technology, he said.
3. Have a backup plan. Mr. McDonald stressed the importance of having a system in place to backup data regularly and safely. “Every hospital has one — many ASCs don’t,” he said. He suggested employing cloud data storage to both safely store backed up data, and to perform regular software updates.
4. Patient connectivity. “Patients more and more want to connect with physicians online,” said Mr. McDonald. Patients also want to be able to perform tasks like paying bills or completing a preoperative assessment online. “Patients expect to be able to jump on your website to do these things,” he said.
5. Continuing education. To maximize ROI on software investments, improve staff performance and retain staff, continuing technology education and training is a must, said Mr. McDonald. “It takes effort but it pays off,” he said. He recommended initiative programs to encourage staff to participate in educational and training programs.
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1. IT is an investment, not an expense. “We don’t think about it as much in an ASC setting as we do in a hospital, but we have to budget for IT,” said Mr. McDonald. This budget should include not just the price of the software or equipment, but the cost of training staff to use it as well. He recommended exploring options for online staff training as a less expensive alternative to on-the-site training.
2. Align IT with the organization’s overall goals. Mr. McDonald recognized that ASCs were moving towards joining ACO networks, and that having the right technology would be critical. “In an ACO, an ASC needs to be able to capture and share clinical data,” he said. This will require electronic health record technology, he said.
3. Have a backup plan. Mr. McDonald stressed the importance of having a system in place to backup data regularly and safely. “Every hospital has one — many ASCs don’t,” he said. He suggested employing cloud data storage to both safely store backed up data, and to perform regular software updates.
4. Patient connectivity. “Patients more and more want to connect with physicians online,” said Mr. McDonald. Patients also want to be able to perform tasks like paying bills or completing a preoperative assessment online. “Patients expect to be able to jump on your website to do these things,” he said.
5. Continuing education. To maximize ROI on software investments, improve staff performance and retain staff, continuing technology education and training is a must, said Mr. McDonald. “It takes effort but it pays off,” he said. He recommended initiative programs to encourage staff to participate in educational and training programs.
More Articles on Information Technology:
What About ASCs in the Electronic Revolution of Healthcare Information?
Improving Documentation and Coding Compliance in Advance of ICD-10
What Healthcare Can Learn From Other Industries About Technology Transformation: Q&A With SourceMedical's Greg Comrie