At the Becker's ASC 21st Annual Meeting — The Business and Operations of ASCs, Oct. 23 to 25, in Chicago, Michael Redler, MD, founder of Fairfield, Conn.-based Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center, offered tips for building a de novo surgery center.
"The stakes are high in a de novo project, and there are significant upsides and downsides," said Dr. Redler. "You have to do a detailed analysis of the clinical, financial and operational aspects and you need a multidisciplinary team."
Here are five tips, according to Dr. Redler:
1. Involve the staff. When investing in a de novo project, medical and ASC staff buy-in is vital. "Give them a wish list," said Dr. Redler. "What they ask for may surprise you. They may not want huge, costly items. This process helps the staff get engaged in the de novo project."
2. Line up vendors. Look into the equipment needs of the de novo facility early on and select your vendors carefully, said Dr. Redler. Also, think about the future of the facility and if, eventually, you want to perform high-acuity cases there, plan for that.
3. Choose the right builder. It is essential that for a de novo project, a builder is selected who can work with the entire team and build the facility to their specifications, according to Dr. Redler.
4. Select an architect who is in the same state. Dr. Redler said that a mistake they made when working on their new facility was using an architect who was from another state. "This made it challenging to work with the architect," he said. "Also, it could lead to other issues such as delays, because the architect may be unfamiliar with regulatory nuances in your state."
5. Treat the department of health as an ally. Invite the state DOH early to visit your facility site and have conversations with them as often as possible to fully understand regulations. "Don't treat the DOH as an adversary," said Dr. Redler. "Get them involved as early as possible."
"It's a scary thing to do, but it can be done," said Dr. Redler. "Creating a space where patients and physicians want to be is more than worth the effort and aggravation. If you build it, they will come."