As ASCs see an increase in popularity and procedural volume, there are a few key ways they can differentiate themselves from competitors, especially in saturated markets. There are also a number of challenges that outpatient facilities face.
Like other healthcare facilities, ASCs are struggling with recruiting staff, regulatory measures and financial changes.
Joe Peluso, administrator at Aestique Surgery Center in Greensburg, Pa., connected with Becker's to discuss the greatest challenges and opportunities for ASCs in 2023.
Joe Peluso: The pandemic crisis has complicated strategic business planning for ASCs in 2023 and beyond. Change must be accelerated to compete in the new marketplace. To help ASCs thrive and survive requires participating in a strategic planning process that defines mission, vision, strategy and business plans. The goal of the ASC industry is to support care teams and improve patient outcomes.
Greatest challenges:
1. Changing the healthcare delivery model as more procedures are steered to ASCs.
2. Achieving physician, professional staff and anesthesia alignment with ASCs for
retention and recruitment promoting quality, access and efficiency.
3. Investing in state-of-the-art equipment and data structures.
4. Planning for logical services and revenue growth through additional procedures
performed in ASCs.
5. Political and regulatory developments such as price transparency, pre-authorizations and increasing migration to technology workflow automation.
6. Despite significant challenges such as regulatory, financial, staffing and technological
considerations, opportunities abound for ASC leaders that are seeking new ways to enable
them to be better positioned to proactively manage the future.
Key result areas:
1. Differentiation through a positive patient experience.
2. Enhanced credentialing processes, vetting physicians that are board certified with formal
training in residency specialty and demonstrate high-quality analytics standards such as
low infection rates and formal letters of reference.
3. Qualified professional staff and anesthesiology services.
4. Formal case review process to evaluate patients more efficiently to determine eligibility
for procedure and financial payment to cover facility overhead and supply costs.
5. Facility meets or exceeds ASC industry quality survey standards.
For ASCs, leveraging these standards to improve efficiency positively impacts budgets and
provides care to more patients. Developing partnerships and collaboration within each ASC
facility will increase provider exposure and buy-in. We anticipate ASC staff physicians will
identify patients with appropriate procedures for ASCs and have conversations with patients
earlier and more effectively regarding the quality, increased comfort, benefits and less costs
associated with ASC care. With the correct information and options communicated by their
physician at the right time, more patients can make an informed decision to have their
outpatient procedure safely performed in an ASC.