Patient consumerism will play an important role in ASC procedure volume growth over the next five years, when the ASC market is projected to reach up to $55 billion in value, according to a report from business intelligence company Research and Markets.
Three insights on patient consumerism from experts in the ASC market:
Marvella Thomas. Senior consultant for clinical operations at Cardinal Health: Healthcare consumerism will increase competition among ASCs as patients take a greater role in making their own healthcare decisions — including where they choose to have surgery. As consumers continue to shop for the best value in healthcare, ASCs will need to become more creative in how they compete.
Smitha Ravipudi. CEO of USC Medical Group (Los Angeles): There's a huge emphasis on convenience that consumers are bringing to the table, and that's where ASCs and outpatient centers are more inclined to meet those needs versus your larger hospital campus sites that are located on a plot of land and in one area and have kind of a fixed set of resources and a cost structure and multiple priorities that may not make the procedures that an ASC does the main priority.
Tricia Frank, BSN, RN. Administrator of Empire Surgery Center (Bakersfield, Calif.): I think increased price transparency ahead of patients' procedures will be a hot topic, along with how ASCs can continue to enhance the patient experience by providing not only top-notch medical care, but quality customer service as well. Patients are consumers, and with the consumerism of healthcare and on-demand access becoming the norm in most other aspects of our lives, patients' expectations from healthcare will continue to raise the bar — and rightfully so.
Want to share your thoughts on this topic? Email Angie Stewart: astewart@beckershealthcare.com.
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