The following article was written by Joseph Keane, director of ASC/GI sales for STERIS Corp.
As we all know, ambulatory surgery centers operate differently from acute-care facilities. For example, they have limited resources compared to the typically larger acute-care facilities. Budgets or other constraints may not allow for duplication of equipment, so when they have a system failure, it significantly impacts their ability to conduct surgery. They often don't have multiple personnel to support the various facility operations, so when a person is out sick or leaves a job, it impacts their staffing levels and capabilities more severely.
When an ASC needs support from a vendor, it is often an urgent situation and quick response is critical. Sadly, vendor response times and prioritization can vary; this is due in part to the general perception that ASCs are "small operations" compared to the much larger (and more profitable) hospitals and health systems. They may be small, but they have the same intent as their larger counterparts: to provide their patients with optimal care. This requires, among other things, strong relationships with high-quality suppliers. Considering that there are over 5,000 outpatient surgical facilities in operation today in the United States alone, there is a great need for consistent, specialized, expert customer support for these smaller surgical facilities.
Furthermore, in today's economic and legislative climate, new regulations, reimbursement changes and other trends are affecting surgery center viability. Faced with a multitude of issues affecting their operations, ASCs are seeking to partner with companies focused on helping them improve their safety, productivity and bottom line. Companies that thoroughly understand the nature of ambulatory operations and can provide value-added resources will be optimal partners.
With this background in mind, here are four key elements ASCs should look for in a provider in order to assure that they get the support they need, when and how they need it.
1. Dedicated ASC sales team — In this context, the term "dedicated" has multiple meanings. Certainly, the team should be focused on ASC customers and should be product experts, with a deep knowledge of all available options for ASC environments. However, this team should also be trained in the surgical and perioperative industry and have a thorough understanding of the differences between acute care and ambulatory care, and the important functions that support each specialty.
But in order to provide optimal value to an ASC, this sales force must be dedicated to best practices and must understand the guidelines and standards that relate to same-day surgery operations. Finally, a dedicated ASC sales force must maintain an awareness of trends in ambulatory care in order to provide appropriate and timely support. For example, the latest trend towards performing more orthopedic and spine surgeries in an outpatient setting is changing the requirements for ASC operating rooms. A dedicated representative would be able to anticipate the future needs of a customer who is contemplating a higher volume of these types of procedures.
2. Support focused on serving, not selling — The first thing high-quality ASC support teams should be doing is asking ASC managers about their current issues and problems. Whether the challenges are about delayed or canceled surgeries, insufficient sterile supplies, outdated or unreliable equipment, poor workflow or even simple issues such as data, paperwork or supply ordering glitches, the focus should be on helping managers solve their specific problems in a timely way. Expert ASC support providers may be able to offer more immediate help for everything from pricing support and ordering assistance to addressing an urgent technical equipment issue. In addition, a thorough ASC team will serve as a bridge to ongoing support, whether that means acquiring new technology, establishing service contracts, providing technical support, scheduling best-practice clinical in-services or setting up additional troubleshooting or consulting expertise. In order to do this effectively, your ASC support team should have a strong working relationship with the local field salesperson and service personnel in order to coordinate the support the facility needs for equipment, products and services.
3. Availability — Since a busy ASC can develop an operational problem at any time during the workweek, it's important to partner with providers who are available full-time. The ASC should be able to contact their support team online or by phone during all normal business hours, and should ask if the provider can extend support into off-hours through their service team if necessary. At a minimum, you should expect your support person to respond quickly, not within days but within an hour of your call.
4. Full briefcase of tools and resources — The needs of an ASC will vary over time. Some requirements will be major (a need for better surgical lighting or other technology to expand procedural capabilities), some will be ongoing (the need to train staff regularly on new best practices or reprocessing techniques) and some will be less critical (making sure the department has technical data sheets and manuals for all their equipment to facilitate future troubleshooting). Whatever the need may be, a high-quality provider should be able to offer credible, factual information and assistive tools and resources that can facilitate ASC operations. Examples of these tools are:
- accredited ongoing clinical education: in person, online or in hard copy;
- timely customer notifications, updates and alerts relevant to the ASC;
- product trials and coordination;
- technical product literature and operator manuals;
- Third-party research data (for efficacy and formulation testing of hand hygiene products, for example);
- comparison calculators and utility calculators to facilitate purchasing decisions;
- service support and portfolio (local service staffing to improve equipment repair speed; service options that allow for a variety of facility needs); and
- expert consultants for process and workflow improvement, renovation or new construction.
Preparing for the future
Regardless of the potential changes coming for ambulatory surgical facilities, there is one trend that is already impacting them: Consumers (patients) are making themselves heard, and they are demanding more minimally invasive outpatient surgical options. This may result in growth or changes in the way these facilities operate, which in turn may require vendor collaborators who can anticipate changes and be prepared to support them in new ways. In addition, with the ongoing changes to regulations and their impact on economic factors and reimbursement, ASCs will need the support of their vendors to drive cost savings, increase throughput, help extend equipment life and provide quality training and education. The ASCs that have customer-focused, service-oriented sales support today will be better prepared to handle the safety, productivity and profitability challenges that may come along tomorrow.
Joseph Keane is the director of ASC/GI sales, an internal sales team for STERIS Corp. that supports ASCs and GI facilities. He has 27 years of experience in the healthcare industry, and has held positions in healthcare service, sales, management, distribution and consulting. Mr. Keane holds a certification as a biomedical equipment technician from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and is a U.S. Navy veteran.