There are several local and national aspects of the healthcare environment ambulatory surgery center leaders must consider when writing and implementing their strategic goals for the coming years. Lisa Austin, RN, CASC, vice president of operations of Pinnacle III and president of the Colorado Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, discusses six of the most important points to include in a successful strategic plan in today's market.
1. Create an attractive environment for physicians. If there is potential for physician growth, make sure the ASC is inviting and attractive to new physicians who are partnership candidates. To optimize the candidates' experiences while they visit, give them access to facility parking and take them out to lunch. ASCs that demonstrate they have good working equipment, availability of adequate instrumentation, and an experienced staff are the most attractive to these potential physician partners.
"Ensure you have trained and knowledgeable staff who work well with the doctors when they come to the facilities," says Ms. Austin. "Physicians value efficiency, time and quality. Don't change up the staff. If you must, make sure you have staff on hand that are adept at working with the physician in his/her specialty."
Even if your surgery center isn't planning on expanding, it's worthwhile to conduct physician satisfaction surveys. This can be difficult, especially if the surgery center is profitable, because physicians don't want to take the time to fill out the survey. "In the long run, however, keeping physicians engaged is important for the success of the surgery center," asserts Ms. Austin. ASC administrators can also engage physicians by reviewing the center's financial reports and applicable benchmarks with them.
2. Increase communication with physicians. Open communication lines with all physicians to ensure they have the equipment they need to perform their surgeries at your facility. If not, Ms. Austin suggests, figure out what you need, then budget for the new equipment or instrumentation. "Ask the physicians if there is new instrumentation or imaging equipment that can increase the quality and/or efficiency of the cases they are performing," suggests Ms. Austin.
3. Position yourself as a leader in ACOs. Healthcare professionals around the country are waiting for the release of the accountable care organization guidelines to see where they will fit in to the model. Ms. Austin believes it is important for ASCs to begin positioning themselves as leaders in their community's healthcare and assume an active role in creating ACOs. "Our association is taking the stance that we can't just watch it happen; instead, we need to be at the forefront, talking to politicians and legislators," Ms. Austin says. "We have positioned ourselves so that when the structure of ACOs does come out, we won't be at the bottom of the totem pole."
Becoming involved in committees appointed by your state governor and overseeing healthcare issues, including how healthcare is delivered across the state and among all payors, are good ways to improve your influence. Meeting with legislators can also keep you in the loop about key healthcare decisions. "With this type of participation, we know what is going on and have a say in how we should be involved," notes Ms. Austin.
4. Start or continue a dialogue with local hospitals. If surgery centers haven't already entered into a partnership, alignment or joint venture with local hospitals, they should begin a dialogue about the best way for the two entities to collaborate on the provision of healthcare. According to Ms. Austin, the partnership doesn't necessarily need to encompass a financial agreement. The dialogue should focus on providing a consistent umbrella of care for the patients. "We want to create an appropriate level of care for the patients and give them choices for their care," says Ms. Austin. "The healthcare arena is complicated enough for patients to negotiate without adversarial feelings between the hospitals and surgery centers entering into the mix."
5. Find ways to increase profitability. ASCs are constantly struggling with innovative ways to increase profitability in their centers. With increased government regulations, particularly focusing on infection control and security of protected health information, Ms. Austin has found that expanding the roles of existing staff members to cover these areas helps meet these regulations while maintaining profitability. "We have found we need to empower our staff to assume extra roles during their downtime," states Ms. Austin. "Our staff members are proficient in infection control, privacy, and security roles, which puts them on the front line. They can then competently respond to surveyors by explaining how they identified the problem, the steps that were taken to solve the problem, where they are in the process, and how the facility intends to comply with the new regulations." It's a win-win; employees are provided with opportunities to expand their skill sets which advance their career goals and ASCs are able to "work smart" by doing more with the resources they already have available.
6. Implement EMR. Even though the date for mandatory electronic medical record implementation keeps getting extended, Ms. Austin advises surgery centers to begin planning for EMR implementation as soon as possible. If a large number of surgery centers wait until the deadline to implement, the EMR companies may have a difficult time managing the influx in business and surgery centers may not be as prepared as they thought they would be for the change. "It might seem as though the EMRs are intuitive, but the actual implementation can be a pretty painful process," she says. "It's painful to learn an entirely new system including how it affects every step of the work flow while simultaneously performing the necessary daily activities. Budget and plan for the time necessary to provide staff and physicians access to the system. Putting together a very thorough plan as soon as possible will be a key component to a successful EMR roll-out."
Learn more about Pinnacle III.