Heather Keidel Irwin, director of client support for SourceMedical, recently joined a small group of individuals who are employed by a technology vendor and have achieved the Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC) certification from the Board of Ambulatory Surgery.
The CASC certification indicates a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge and skills that the role of an ASC administrator requires and is usually earned by individuals working in ASCs or consultants.
Leveraging her deep understanding of the role and responsibilities of an ASC administrator, Ms. Irwin shares seven things administrators need to know about information technology and its many uses.
1. Ensure proper database maintenance. Ms. Irwin says that SourceMedical, as a software vendor, views the client technology infrastructure (server, network, database) as business critical and she believes ASC administrators should hold their infrastructure equally as valuable. As such, she recommends administrators work with technology vendors to ensure their databases are properly maintained with respect to storage capability, security and the application of necessary updates, as well as a regular backup of information stored on the databases.
"Backing up all of that information is really important and most software vendors provide a recommended backup rotation schedule," she says.
2. Confirm validity of database backup. It's important for administrators to know their databases are routinely backed up; however, it's just as important to confirm that the backup utilities are actually working properly — which is critical for a sound disaster recovery plan. Ms. Irwin says administrators should check periodically — at least a few times annually — to ensure those backup utilities are running correctly.
"Time constraints make it nearly impossible for administrators to conduct daily or even monthly checks, but certainly a couple of times a year they can work with their hardware partner to restore a database from one of the backups to verify the backup is available in the event of a real hardware failure," she says. "Many times we've had facilities call and say they've had a hardware failure; it's heartbreaking to hear that despite the backup appearing to work, they discovered the contents of the backup were corrupted or unavailable."
3. Develop a reminder system for regulatory/compliance data collection. Ms. Irwin says she frequently comes across situations where administrators know about regulatory/compliance requirements from their state or accrediting body but are not necessarily aware of the routine data gathering necessary to demonstrate the rules have been meet.
"It's a good idea for administrators to use their IT system to send reminders to ensure staff members are following the proper processes for data collection and to ensure that their [system] outputs the correct data, in the correct format," she says. "From an EHR perspective, most software companies are ensuring there's compliance with different types of new regulatory requirements, such as Joint Commission surveys. At SourceMedical, we stay current on regulatory changes and proactively integrate [changes] into our standard forms to ensure clients maintain compliance."
4. Research and identify beneficial technology to help reduce costs. While many technology vendors are good at keeping their clients informed of new and possibly beneficial technology, it is worthwhile for administrators to research their options as well.
"New products are constantly being made available through software partners and other third-party vendors that can interface with the applications they use today," says Ms. Irwin. "There are a lot of efficiencies that can be gained by employing those technologies. As the market becomes more competitive and margins decrease, successful administrators will seek improved performance. I encourage all clients to be informed to the options that are available."
The business office is a great place to embrace new technologies, she says. Some examples of good technology for administrators to consider include automated insurance verification, automated payment posting, electronic patient statements and tools to assist with collections.
"Using a more advanced collections tool allows you to put a note or tickler reminder that you gave a patient a few weeks leeway to make a payment," she says. "Electronic patient statements are a no-brainer as more patients are looking for the ability to receive their information via e-mail. These technologies are available in a variety of configurations and price points."
5. Improve your peer chart review process. While the schedule for peer review varies greatly based on the facility, Ms. Irwin says ASCs can leverage IT to make the process easier.
"If they adopt an EHR, it can allow them to pull their charts based on a variety of different criteria; this can be done electronically which can make the process a lot less time consuming [in comparison to manually pulling information]," she says.
6. Embrace technology to improve patient care. While technology can certainly help reduce costs and improve overall efficiency, it can also help administrators improve patient care, Ms. Irwin says. One example she cites is the adoption of an online tool that allows patients to register and provide their medical history electronically in advance of their procedure.
"While 100 percent of patients aren't necessarily going to be comfortable going to the internet to complete their medical history, a fairly large percentage of patients are receptive to embracing the technology," she says. "In doing so, patients are afforded the benefit of completing their registration at their convenience. Their medical histories are also much more complete as they have necessary prescriptions on hand to reference.
"Bringing the preop process online helps with patient satisfaction while saving valuable nursing time for the ASC by eliminating the need for nurses to play phone tag with patients to obtain information," she says. "If the ASC wanted, it could still have the nurse call and verify the information; the process is much faster now as the information is already there and can be easily updated."
Electronic surveys are another great tool for administrators to research and consider for their ASC, Ms. Irwin says. The completion rates are typically higher because the patient can complete the form at their convenience and it can be sent out relatively quickly and cheaply as opposed to mailing a paper form. "Also, the experience [at the ASC] is still fresh in patient's mind," she says. "That's a great tool to take advantage of and administrators and clinical directors appreciate the immediate notification they receive regarding negative responses."
7. Choose a technology partner with a proven track record. Ms. Irwin advises administrators to carefully research their IT vendors and find partners with experience catering to the specific needs of their business. She recommends looking for companies with an understanding of healthcare and, if possible, surgery centers.
"Too many times we see an ASC partner working with another vendor (for example, a hardware vendor) that has very little experience working with medical service providers; unfortunately this limited experience makes it difficult to administer and integrate medical software and hardware," she says. "They don't always have the most up to date information with respect to regulatory compliance for network administration and the specifications for associated software or hardware" the ASC uses.
Learn more about SourceMedical.
Read more from and about SourceMedical:
- 5 ASC IT Considerations for the Next 5 Years
- 5 Considerations for Adding EMR to Your ASC
- SourceMedical Acquires Serbin Surgery Center Billing