Maryville (Tenn.) Surgical Center Administrator Mary Ellen Rider discusses efficient scheduling to make ambulatory surgery centers better.
Q: How does scheduling work at your ASC?
Mary Ellen Rider: We utilize modified block programs because we know which surgeons use their blocks regularly and which do not. We try our best to accommodate surgeons' preferences for start times because we believe that making the surgeon happy will bring more business. If we don't have the first day or time available, we give them alternatives.
We also do a lot of talking with their offices to make sure we have what they want. The other thing we do is allow surgeons to start in the afternoon if that's what they prefer. It means we might have a gap in our schedule, but we do try to flex our employees to accommodate the surgeons.
Q: How do you handle add-ons?
MR: We have cases added on for the next day all the time. Usually it's surgeons who are following themselves, so we just put another case on the schedule for them. If a surgeon wants to add on a case and we don't have a place for him, we give that surgeon the option of starting early at 7 a.m. Our schedulers let the charge nurses or myself know when there is an add-on so we can follow through and make sure we have everything we need.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you face in operating room efficiency and how do you over come it?
MR: There are inefficiencies when surgeries are cancelled the day of and we call the next patient to ask them to come in right away. The other issue we have trouble with is surgeons who have cases at the hospital and run late coming to the ASC. We try to ward off dissatisfaction from our patients by letting them know the situation as soon as we know it. Then the patients might be able to rest at home instead of coming to the ASC and waiting.
Q: Are there any tactics you use to keep the ORs running as efficiently as possible?
MR: We only run three rooms unless it's necessary to run number four, and if it's a particularly slow day we run two rooms. We try to conserve our staff members by doing that, but if employees take paid time off then we aren't saving a whole lot by minimizing the number of staff hours. Any time we have less cases, it impacts the bottom line negatively.
More Articles on Surgery Centers:
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5 Challenging Joint Commission Requirements for ASCs
Q: How does scheduling work at your ASC?
Mary Ellen Rider: We utilize modified block programs because we know which surgeons use their blocks regularly and which do not. We try our best to accommodate surgeons' preferences for start times because we believe that making the surgeon happy will bring more business. If we don't have the first day or time available, we give them alternatives.
We also do a lot of talking with their offices to make sure we have what they want. The other thing we do is allow surgeons to start in the afternoon if that's what they prefer. It means we might have a gap in our schedule, but we do try to flex our employees to accommodate the surgeons.
Q: How do you handle add-ons?
MR: We have cases added on for the next day all the time. Usually it's surgeons who are following themselves, so we just put another case on the schedule for them. If a surgeon wants to add on a case and we don't have a place for him, we give that surgeon the option of starting early at 7 a.m. Our schedulers let the charge nurses or myself know when there is an add-on so we can follow through and make sure we have everything we need.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you face in operating room efficiency and how do you over come it?
MR: There are inefficiencies when surgeries are cancelled the day of and we call the next patient to ask them to come in right away. The other issue we have trouble with is surgeons who have cases at the hospital and run late coming to the ASC. We try to ward off dissatisfaction from our patients by letting them know the situation as soon as we know it. Then the patients might be able to rest at home instead of coming to the ASC and waiting.
Q: Are there any tactics you use to keep the ORs running as efficiently as possible?
MR: We only run three rooms unless it's necessary to run number four, and if it's a particularly slow day we run two rooms. We try to conserve our staff members by doing that, but if employees take paid time off then we aren't saving a whole lot by minimizing the number of staff hours. Any time we have less cases, it impacts the bottom line negatively.
More Articles on Surgery Centers:
8 Ways to Bolster ASC Claim Coding
Long Term Benefits of Regular Valuations for ASCs: Q&A With Aaron Murski of VMG Health
5 Challenging Joint Commission Requirements for ASCs