Four ASC administrators answer the question: what accomplishment are you most proud of in 2019?
Taylor Cera. Administrator of Orthopaedic Surgery Center (Boardman, Ohio): I'm most proud of our team's ability to execute the goals we've put in place for 2019. We knew this year was going to be quite challenging for us in many ways. We had scheduled state and The Joint Commission surveys, designed and implemented a new business management and e-charting system, and will transition into our brand new ASC in November.
If you think about the level of detail on a micro-level that goes into building a software system for your practice as well as at the same time designing and constructing an ASC built for the future, we were making decisions and implementing change at a fast pace. I believe our success was because of the 'slow pace' on the macro-level. We put in the communication and we leveraged experts in different areas when we knew we didn't have the tools internally. I'd say we were ready for these changes.
Myra Eleby-Hankerson, RN, MSN. Administrator of Midtown Surgery Center (New York City): Becoming a patient-centered facility. Changing the staff climate from self-centered to a mindset of patient advocacy. Posting evidence-based material that patient safety should always be our first priority.
Fiona Stephen. Administrator of Vanguard Surgical Center (Maywood, N.J.): We underwent a partnership with United Surgical Partners International and Hackensack Meridian Healthcare. It went well but took a lot of work. I felt that we stood out from other centers and with our patient satisfaction, patient outcomes, and beautiful facility we were able to develop a solid partnership.
Christine Yoder, MSN, RN, CASC. Senior Vice President of Operations at U.S. Digestive Health (Exton, Pa.): My proudest accomplishment for 2019 was closing Berks Center for Digestive Health's transaction with US Digestive Health. We collaborated with our current partner Physician's Endoscopy to create an effective three-way ownership structure.
For 2020, I'm most looking forward to growth of our partnerships in the Pennsylvania GI market, continued focus on high-quality, cost-effective care and success of the new leadership team at Berks Center for Digestive Health.
To participate in future thought leadership Q&As, contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com.