At the 18th Annual Ambulatory Surgery Centers Conference in Chicago on Oct. 28, Tracey Hood, RN, administrator of the Ohio Valley Ambulatory Surgery Center; Susan Kizirian, COO of Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America; Brooke Smith, administrator of Maryland Surgery Center for Women; and Kara Vittetoe, administrator of Thomas Johnson Surgery Center, discussed some of the key issues facing ASC administrators.
1. Physician recruitment. The presenters suggested exhaustive, continuous review of all available physicians in the market, involving current partners and adding new procedures and services to recruit physicians. For example, Ms. Smith had success adding circumcisions at her ASC.
2. Capturing eligible cases. The presenters offered several strategies for capturing eligible cases, including periodic office visits to educate schedulers at practices on what cases are eligible and periodic discussions with surgeons on cases that are eligible. They also suggested showing physicians the lost revenue when eligible cases go elsewhere.
3. Staff morale and retention. Ms. Smith said administrators should "get in the trenches," such as helping to turn over rooms, to improve staff morale. Ms. Hood said knowing details about staff — asking about a child's sports game or a sick parent — can go a long way in staff satisfaction and retention because it shows staff that the administrator cares. Ms. Kizirian said one tool to help administrators remember details about staff is a "favorites" survey that asks about staff's favorite color, movie, etc. Administrators can then refer to the surveys until they get to know the staff.
4. Payroll cost containment. Ms. Vittetoe said administrators should not hesitate to send staff home early if the day is slow. She suggested turning off the lights, closing the door and sending staff home when not needed to reduce payroll costs. The presenters said administrators should set the expectation when they hire staff that there will be some days they need to work late and some days they will be sent home early.
5. Maximize reimbursements. Administrators can maximize reimbursement by enforcing billing and collections protocol and sending people to seminars to learn correct processes.
6. Supply costs and management. Case costing is useful in managing supply costs, the presenters said. In order to case cost properly, administrators will need current inventory information and preference cards.
7. Conflict and confrontation management. Ms. Kizirian said presenting physicians and staff with "conversational recipes" can improve conflict management. The recipe includes examples of what to do and say when arguing for one's position or questioning another's. For instance, one recipe states "Make your reasoning explicit" and suggests people say "I came to this conclusion because..."
8. Patient satisfaction. Hiring the "right" people is essential for patient satisfaction, the presenters said. Making pre- and post-operative telephone calls can also demonstrate to patients that the center truly cares about them.
9. Multiple facility management. Sharing staff is a useful strategy for juggling the needs of several facilities, according to the presenters.
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1. Physician recruitment. The presenters suggested exhaustive, continuous review of all available physicians in the market, involving current partners and adding new procedures and services to recruit physicians. For example, Ms. Smith had success adding circumcisions at her ASC.
2. Capturing eligible cases. The presenters offered several strategies for capturing eligible cases, including periodic office visits to educate schedulers at practices on what cases are eligible and periodic discussions with surgeons on cases that are eligible. They also suggested showing physicians the lost revenue when eligible cases go elsewhere.
3. Staff morale and retention. Ms. Smith said administrators should "get in the trenches," such as helping to turn over rooms, to improve staff morale. Ms. Hood said knowing details about staff — asking about a child's sports game or a sick parent — can go a long way in staff satisfaction and retention because it shows staff that the administrator cares. Ms. Kizirian said one tool to help administrators remember details about staff is a "favorites" survey that asks about staff's favorite color, movie, etc. Administrators can then refer to the surveys until they get to know the staff.
4. Payroll cost containment. Ms. Vittetoe said administrators should not hesitate to send staff home early if the day is slow. She suggested turning off the lights, closing the door and sending staff home when not needed to reduce payroll costs. The presenters said administrators should set the expectation when they hire staff that there will be some days they need to work late and some days they will be sent home early.
5. Maximize reimbursements. Administrators can maximize reimbursement by enforcing billing and collections protocol and sending people to seminars to learn correct processes.
6. Supply costs and management. Case costing is useful in managing supply costs, the presenters said. In order to case cost properly, administrators will need current inventory information and preference cards.
7. Conflict and confrontation management. Ms. Kizirian said presenting physicians and staff with "conversational recipes" can improve conflict management. The recipe includes examples of what to do and say when arguing for one's position or questioning another's. For instance, one recipe states "Make your reasoning explicit" and suggests people say "I came to this conclusion because..."
8. Patient satisfaction. Hiring the "right" people is essential for patient satisfaction, the presenters said. Making pre- and post-operative telephone calls can also demonstrate to patients that the center truly cares about them.
9. Multiple facility management. Sharing staff is a useful strategy for juggling the needs of several facilities, according to the presenters.
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